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TUFTS   UNIVERSITY   LIBRARIES 


z.-- 


Webster  Family  Library  of  Veterinary  Medicine 
Ciinnniings  School  of  Veterinary  Medicine  at 
Tufts  University 
200  VVestboro  Road 
North  Grafton,  MA  01536 


FRONTISFIBCB. 


Th?  Mouthing  Bit. 


THE  BRIDLE  BITS, 


A   TEEATISE   ON" 


PRACTICAL    HORSEMANSHIP. 


BY 

COL.  J.  C.  BATTEESBY, 

LATE  FIEST  2TEW  YOKK   (LINCOLN)  CAVALRY    ("THE  GALLANT  FIKST  NEW  TOEK  "), 
CUSTEE'S  division,  SHEEIDAN'S  COEPS,  AEMY  of  the  SHENANDOAH,  TJ    S.  A. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


NEW    YORK: 

0.    JUDD    CO.,   DAVID    W.    JUDD,   Preset. 

751   BROADWAY. 

1886. 


X^oo 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1886,  by  the 

O.  JUDD    CO., 
lu  tlic  Office  of  the  Librarian  ol  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PUBLISHERS'    PEEFACE. 


A  long  and  varied  experience  with  horses,  in  both 
civil  and  military  capacities  in  different  countries,  gives 
Colonel  Battersby  the  ability  to  be  of  essential  service 
both  to  the  horse  and  to  his  owner  in  this  volume.  The 
treatise  is  not  on  bits  alone,  but  on  breaking  and  training 
horses  for  every  use  to  which  they  are  respectively  adapt- 
ed, particularly  to  their  use  under  the  saddle  and  be- 
fore the  carriage.  The  important  part  played  by  the 
bit  in  its  various  forms  in  rendering  the  horse  the  docile, 
willing  servant  he  is,  in  promoting  man's  profit  and 
pleasure,  leads  to  the  adoption  of  the  title  of  the  book. 
It  is  at  once  specific  and  comprehensive.  Tender  consid- 
eration and  respect  for  the  horse  is  the  im^iression  the 
author  makes  and  inculcates — that  by  proj^er  mouthing, 
training,  use  and  treatment  he  can  be  made  all  the  more 
serviceable,  and  at  the  same  time  more  agreeable  to  his 
rider  or  driver  in  the  performance  of  his  work. 

The  position  Colonel  Battersby  had  as  Assistant  In- 
spector General  in  Sheridan's  Cavalry  Corps,  and  under 
the  gallant  Custer  and  his  ever  successful  commander,  is 
a  guarantee  that  he  may  be  considered  authority  on  what 
he  says  regarding  cavalry  bits  and  bridles.  The  charac- 
teristics of  a  large  number  of  the  animals  used  as  carriage 
horses,  as  depicted  by  the  author,  together  with  his  clear 
explanations  as  to  the  style  to  be  sought  and  the  method 
to  secure  it,  are  well  worthy  the  attention  of  breeders, 
while  no  horseman  can  peruse  the  volume  without  profit 
to  himself  and  essential  benefit  to  the  noble  animal  in 
whose  interest  the  book  is  largely  written. 


(5) 


CONTENTS. 


K>« 

Page. 
Introduction 9 

CHAPTER   I. 

Horsemanship  and  Training. — The  Mouthing?  Bit;  First  Decree; 
Second  Lesson  in  Training;  Handling  Rein;  Wild  and  Tamed 
Horses;  The  Saddle-Horse  ;  Steps  and  Motions;  Snalfle  Bit; 
Nature,  Art  and  Science  ;  Difference  in  Horses'  Ideas;  Instruc- 
tors' Errors  in  Principle 16 

CHAPTER  II. 
English  vs.  Irish  Riding. — Portraits  of  English  and  Irish  Saddle- 
Hoi-ses  ;  Condition  of  the  Rider  ;  Horse-leap  Church  ;  Jumping 
the  Baurene  ;  Topping  the  Wall ;  The  Pound  Wall ;  The  Use  of 
the  Ears ;  Using  the  Horse  as  a  Watch  ;  Habits ;  Intelligence 
of  the  Mule ;  Signs  of  Good  and  Bad  Horses  for  the  Saddle ; 
Leading  Horses  ;  The  Pelham  Bit 35 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Bit-and-Bridoon  for  Saddle-Hoeses.— The  Curb  ;  The  Mar- 
tingale     53 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Cavalry  Bit.— Mounted  Police  ;  Mounted  Police  Bit;  Finger- 
ing the  Reins 60 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Cavalry  Bit-and-Bridoon.— The  Bridoon  Bit  in  Action  ;  Cav- 
alry Charge — Point  to  the  Front — Cut  to  the  Rear ;  Foreign  or 
Eastern  Bits 64 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Cavalry  or  Mllitar?  Bit 70 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Mexican  Ring  Bit 76 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Eastern  Horses 80 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Mule  Bit.— The  Donkey  Bit 89 

(7) 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Driving  Bits. — The  Bridoon  Bit  with  Rings ;  Portraits  of  Saddle, 
Carriage  and  Draft  Horses 93 

CHAPTER  XI. 
The  Bridoon  Bit  with  Half  Guards 96 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Bridoon  Bit  with  Double  Joint  and  Half  Guards.— Common 
Snaffle  Bit ;  Plain  Snaffle 97 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Double-Jointed  Snaffle  Bit.— Pantograph  Snaffle  ;  Double- 
Barred  Snaffle  in  Use ;  Doubly  Severe  ;  Wire  Snaffle  Bit 99 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Bar  Bit.— Packing  Box  Buggy 103 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Bar  Bits,  Straight  and  Curved,  with  Liverpool  Slide. — Posi- 
tions in  Running  ;  Straight-Jacket ;  Norman  Stallions  ;  Contra- 
dictions    112 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Carriage  Bar  Bit  with  Curb  and  Bearing  Rein 119 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Carriage  Bit-and- Bridoon.— Operation  of  tlie  Bridoon  ;  Style 
vs.  Bridoon  and  Check  Rein  Abandoned  ;  Occupant  of  the  Car- 
riage ;  Passing  in  Review  ;  Jewelry  of  the  Turnout ;  Breeding 
for  the  Carriage;  Mated,  not  Matched  Horses;  Selling  Ill- 
Matched  Teams  ;  Small  Per  Cent,  of  Carriage  Horses;  Horses, 
Carriages  and  Harness  ;  Stock  to  Breed  From  ;  Flying  Childers  ; 
Breeding  the  Wrong  Way ;  No  Style  or  Grace  in  Short-Legged 
Horses  ;  The  Carriage  Horse 122 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Tee  Use  of  Blinds  on  Horses 130 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Feeding 132 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Now  a  Word  to  the  Cavalry  Man 136 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Some  Unnecessary  Tortures 138 


THE  BRIDLE  BITS. 


*'  Be  ye  not  as  the  horse  and  mule,  which  have  no  un- 
derstanding, whose  mouth  must  be  held  in  with  bit  and 
bridle." 


INTEODUCTION. 

Of  all  the  instruments  in  general  everyday  use  the  most 
indispensable  and  the  most  universally  employed  in  all 
the  great  operations  of  life,  for  both  pleasure  and  profit 
in  every  land,  is  the  bridle  bit.  Apart  from  the  farm, 
truck,  cart  and  car-horse  bit,  it  is  least  understood  and 
most  abused  in  all  its  secret  and  various  practical  ap- 
plications of  any  instrument  used.  If  mechanics  must 
serve  their  time  to  learn  to  handle  the  tools  used  in 
their  trades,  why  not  the  equestrian  ?  Yet  there  is 
no  implement  in  such  general  use  of  which  the  dic- 
tionaries and  enclyclopedias  are  so  neglectful,  and  in 
some  respects  silent,  as  this.  While  Webster's  diction- 
ary explains  and  illustrates  nearly  everything  from  a 
needle  to  an  anchor,  from  an  elephant  to  a  mouse,  and 
from  a  condor  to  a  tomtit,  it  neglects  to  illustrate  a 
bridle  bit,  and  one  cyclopedia  gives  no  explanation  of 
the  terms :  snaffle  bit,  bar  bit,  bridoon  bit,  Pelham  bit, 
martingale,  bearing  rein,  rein,  saddle,  bridle,  harness, 
etc.,  etc.,  but  ignores  them  altogether. 

It  is  therefore,  no  wonder  that  a  general  ignorance  pre- 
(9) 


10  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

yails  of  a  theoretical,  as  well  as  a  practical  knowledge  of 
horsemanship,  when  the  instruments  employed  in  the 
first  principles  of  its  arts  are  repudiated  by  a  pretended 
repository  of  general  knowledge,  and  the  people  thus  left 
to  the  stable-boy  instead  of  the  library  for  information 
on  the  subject.  The  bit  has  a  wide  field  in  both  its 
general  use  and  its  individual  operations  which,  in  the 
saddle  horse's  mouth,  is  or  should  be  magical.  Every 
horse  we  see  employed  has  a  bit  in  his  mouth;  every 
race  is  lost  and  won  with  the  bit,  and  under  its  manage- 
ment millions  of  dollars  a  vear  chancre  hands. 

The  utmost  art  of  the  maker  of  fancy  iron  jewelry  is 
centered  in  the  bit  and  its  appendages,  of  every  stylish 
equipage.  The  bit  plays  its  part  in  all  the  equine  feats, 
interests  and  operations  in  every  land,  whether  civilized 
or  barbaric,  in  both  peace  and  war,  and  in  the  truck,  cart, 
car  and  agricultural  interests  it  plays  its  most  humble  yet 
important  part.  While  in  war,  a  nation  might  as  well 
lay  down  its  arms  as  to  relinquish  the  bit. 

Aside  from  the  use  of  bits  in  the  mercantile  world,  in  the 
quartermaster  general's  department  of  the  army  millions 
of  dollars  were  spent  for  bits  alone  during  our  late  re- 
bellion. There  were  employed  in  the  cavalry  branch  of 
our  gallant  army  375,000  horses.  Every  horse  had  two 
bits  assigned  him,  and  without  counting  the  renewal  of 
the  supply  after  the  ordinary  losses  in  war,  this  number 
alone  will  suffice  to  show  the  demand  there  was  for  a  sup- 
ply for  that  single  arm  of  the  service,  in  which  at  the 
present  time  there  are  only  20,000  bits  supposed  to  be  in 
actual  daily  use. 

Outside  of  this  number  which  is  used  only  with  the 
saddle,  the  demand  for  other  branches  of  the  service  and 
in  civil  life,  is  beyond  an  exact  calculation,  but  an  ap- 
proximate number  and  value  may  be  guessed  at  when  we 
consider  that  there  are  thirteen  millious  and  eighty-four 
thousand  (13,084,000)  horses  and  mules  in  the  United 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

States  and  Territories ;  and,  as  every  animal  in  use  re- 
quires a  bit,  we  may  allow  that  12,000,000  of  animals  are 
employed,  and  that  this  number  of  bits  is  in  actual  daily 
use,  while  the  surplus  in  every  stable  would  cover  the  whole 
number  of  horses  in  the  country,  and  if  the  average  price 
be  allowed  of  fifty  (50)  cents,  we  have  a  trade  value 
in  bridle  bits  alone  amounting,  at  a  low  estimate,  to 
$6,542,000  against  6994,949,376  worth  of  horse  and  mule 
flesh  subservient  to  the  bridle  bit,  in  1883. 

To  show  how  little  the  saddle  and  harness  were  used  in 
ISTew  York  City  some  thirty  years  ago  compared  with  the 
present  time,  there  were  only  two  harness  stores  in  the 
city  where  a  first-class  outfit  for  a  gentleman's  stable  es- 
tablishment could  be  procured.  These  were  Wood  Gib- 
son, corner  of  Broadway  and  Fulton  street,  and  Trainer's, 
corner  of  Broadway  and  White  street. 

•The  opening  of  the  Central  Park  gave  a  stimulus  to 
both  riding  and  driving  ;  but  w^hile  the  latter  has  made 
gigantic  strides,  the  former  advanced  slowly  u^d  to  within 
a  year  or  two.  When  it  will  end  is  uncertain,  for  in  the 
United  States  the  custom  is  to  run  a  thing  '^into  the 
ground,"  and  when  it  becomes  vulgar  from  common  use, 
it  becomes  unfashionable  and  is  then  dropped  altogether. 
Then  great  sacrifices  are  made  in  the  sale  of  the  material. 

The  only  branch  of  equestrian  amusements  that  we 
may  really  expect  to  see  last,  is  one  in  which  money  is  to 
be  made.  We  hope,  however,  that  the  fashion  for  riding 
will  last  until  stockmen  begin  to  feel  a  regular  demand 
for  saddle  horses,  and  that  they  will  breed  up  to  the  style 
required.  At  present  it  is  ridiculous  to  compare  the  an- 
imals, for 'both  saddle  and  harness,  with  the  advertise- 
ments vaunting  their  '^superior  qualities '^  when  they 
are  offered  for  sale.  Now,  however,  that  hunting, 
racing,  steeple-chasing  and  other  sports  and  amateur  ac- 
complishments in  the  saddle  have  become  so  general  as  a 
means  of  enjoyment,  and  a  taste  for  everything  equine  is 


12  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

being  cultivated  and  developed  in  both  sexes,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  study  and  practice  ^'  the  art  and  science  "  of  horse- 
manship, so  long  as  the  mania  lasts  ;  otherwise  the  pros- 
pect of  broken  necks,  as  the  result  of  unskilled  enthu- 
siasts in  equestrian  performances,  are  likely  to  render  the 
amusement  and  criticism  of  spectators  anything  but 
agreeable  to  the  riders. 

There  is  general  ignorance  in  this  country  in  regard  to 
the  respective  uses  of  the  great  variety  of  bits,  as  well  as 
in  regard  to  the  proper  way  of  holding  and  fingering  the 
reins,  the  delicate  use  of  the  bit  and  the  management  of 
the  horse.  The  consequent  uncertainty  of  performance 
is  inevitable  with  men  w^ho  bravely  try  to  imitate  a  kind  of 
horsemanship  to  which  they  were  not  trained  in  youth, 
owing  of  course  to  a  want  of  place  and  op^Dortunity  and 
general  daily  practice  in  the  field. 

Heretofore  practical  horsemanship  had  been  little 
known  in  our  more  Eastern  States  ;  having  fair  roads  we 
preferred  the  buggy  to  the  saddle,  but  in  consequence  of 
equestrian  tastes  acquired  in  the  late  war  by  the  enor- 
mous body  of  cavalry  that  the  emergency  created,  ama- 
teur riding  is  now  more  practiced  as  an  amusement  than 
as  a  necessity.  There  is  raw  material  in  the  young  people 
of  both  sexes  in  the  Southern  States^  of  which  excellent 
riders  are  made.  A  country  life  and  *^  dirt  roads  "  in  the 
interior  require  the  daily  use  of  the  saddle  as  a  means  of 
intercommunication,  and  this  has  necessitated  horseman- 
ship and  given  an  excellent  seat  to  many  w^hose  training 
and  skill  have  developed  with  their  years. 

Forty  years  ago  a  clerk  in  a  New  York  counting-house 
would  have  been  reprimanded  by  his  employer,  and  run 
the  risk  of  dismissal,  if  he  were  known  to  keep  a  horso. 
Times,  however,  have  changed  and  with  them  many 
despotic  restrictions  and  fanatical  ideas,  and  now  clubs 
for  every  game,  accomplishment  and  amusement  that  tend 
to  develop  the  muscle  and  the  mind  exist  and  are  being 


INTKODUCTION.  13 

openly  organized.  * 'Dandy"  Marks  was  the  observed  of  all 
observers,  when  some  forty  years  ago  he  used  to  drive  down 
Broadway  in  his  tilbury  and  bob-tailed  tandem.  In  this 
enjoyment  he  had  the  New  York  City  field  to  himself  with 
the  exception  of  Doctor  Hugh  Caldwell,  of  peninsular 
war  fame,  who  knew  how  to  sit  and  drive. 

Now  that  the  game  of  polo  calls  for  the  small,  active 
horse,  powerful  bit,  and  delicate  and  skillful  handling  in 
sudden  stops  and  short  turns,  we  can  fancy  the  dexterous 
use  that  was  made  of  the  bit  in  olden  times  when  hand  to 
hand  encounters  were  common  between  tilting  knights 
and  champions  of  rival  armies,  who  were  jealous  of  each 
other's  j^rowess,  and  whose  honor,  valor  and  fame 
were  decided  by  the  address,  skill  and  gallantry  of  the 
respective  contestants  in  the  fight. 

With  what  ancestral  pride  can  the  Lords  and  Com- 
mons of  the  British  Isles,  at  the  present  time,  point  to 
the  rusting  armor,  the  blood-stained  spear,  the  iron 
gauntlet,  the  sword  and  sabre-tache,  the  spur,  battle- 
axe  and  breast-plate,  the  armorial  bearings  and  crests 
awarded  for  gallant  deeds,  the  antique  saddle,  the  fancy 
shabrack,  the  weather-beaten  bandoleer,  the  costly 
bridle,  and  the  gorgeous  bit  that  are  handed  down  from 
warriors  of  old.  Their  skillful  use  decided  the  transient 
fates  of  nations,  made  kings  and  emperors,  and  over- 
threw and  established  thrones  and  dynasties,  with  their 
frequent  invasions,  their  terror  and  their  sway;  now  they 
rest  in  the  silent  and  majestic  dignity  of  victorious  death, 
as  material  evidences  of  the  truth  of  the  history  that 
they  made.  Apparently  conscious  of  their  own  renown, 
they  prove  to  the  sceptical  mind,  whose  prejudiced 
thoughts,  mingled  with  silent  admiration  and  af- 
fected scorn  to  suit  the  new  state  of  things  that, 
through  the  events  which  followed  in  the  wake  of  bloody 
onslaughts  and  exterminating  wars,  wasfed  by  their  dex- 
terous and  incessant  use,  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  is  free^ 


14  THE  BRIDLE   BITS. 

and  that  the  titles  and  escutcheons  that  they  gained  for 
their  gallant  lords,  and  which  are  secured  by  patents 
royal  to  succeeding  generations,  are  no  empty  heirlooms 
to  be  lost  in  the  lapse  of  time,  or  battled  for  again. 
Their  work  is  done,  and  they  now  hang  in  the  dust  and 
cobwebs  of  ancient  halls,  and  the  nooks  and  corners  of 
castles  that  they  won.  These  very  castles  gave  shelter 
to  sovereigns  and  subjects,  generals  and  glittering  staffs, 
nobles  in  armor,  assembled  armies,  and  brilliant  gather- 
ings of  the  beautiful  and  admiring  fair.  All  this  con- 
tributed to  the  pride  and  power  that  followed  in  the  train 
of  the  war-horse  and  the  bit,  and  the  indei^endence  of  a 
great  and  a  mighty  emj^ire. 

It  is  therefore  to  the  study  and  practical  knowledge  of 
the  special  uses  of  the  more  modern  bits,  in  these  days  of 
more  peaceful  pursuits  in  private  life,  that  we  invite  the 
attention  of  the  would-be  horsemen  who  have  taste  and 
talents  for  equestrian  enjoyments. 

We  cannot  refer  to  history  without  being  reminded  of 
triumphant  entries  of  vast  armies  returning  from  foreign 
wars  to  cities  and  capitals  of  their  resjoective  nations, 
headed  by  their  leaders,  be  they  sovereign  or  subject, 
mounted  on  chargers  of  *'high  and  lofty  mien,"  champ- 
ing on  their  bits  dripping  with  foam,  while  the  tinseled 
and  dazzling  bridles  of  scarlet  and  gold  shivered  in  the 
breeze,  to  the  wonder  of  the  vulgar  and  the  envy  of  the 
great. 

The  bit  long  since  established  its  virtues,  both  in  peace 
and  war,  and  it  is  still  called  upon  in  a  figurative  way  to 
adorn  the  painter's  canvas  by  tlirowing  the  Arab  steed 
into  all  the  graceful  attitudes  portrayed  by  art.  Here  we 
see  pictured  in  all  the  shades  and  brilliant  coloring  of 
semi-barbaroiis  tribes,  the  Arab  chief,  the  Eastern  prince, 
the  Cossack  of  the  Don,  the  nimble  Circassian  and  the 
Spanish  grandee,  mounted  upon  horses  to  match  their 
respective  spheres.     The  bridles,  of  various  degrees  of 


INTRODtJCTION".  15 

costliness,  that  dangle  from  their  bits  are  adorned  with 
gold  and  silver  ornaments,  costly  jewels  and  delicate 
workmanship,  of  which  not  only  the  rider  but  the  horse 
seems  proud,  and,  while  wondering  at  its  power  and 
romantic  history,  we  grant  the  bit  the  symbolic  palm. 

Under  the  restraint  of  the  bit  ''the  horse  paweth  in 
the  valley  and  rejoiceth  in  his  strength  ;  he  goeth  on  to 
meet  the  armed  men  ;  he  mocketh  at  fear  and  is  not  af- 
fridited,  neither  turneth  he  back  from  the  sword  ;  the 
quiver  rattleth  against  him,  the  quivering  spear  and  tlie 
shield."  Thus  anterior  to  and  since  the  days  of  Xenophon 
on  the  plains  of  Babylon,  vast  legions  of  men  from  remote 
ages  have  been  manoeuvred  and  led  by  generals  and  mon- 
archs,  who  held  the  bit  in  one  hand  and  the  destinies  of 
nations  in  the  other. 

Empires  and  nations  rise,  decay  and  fall. 

But  still  the  bit  survives  and  rules  and  conquers  all. 


Fig.  1.— MOUTHING  BIT. 


CHAPTER    I. 


HORSEMANSHIP  AND  TRAINING. 


Before  proceeding  with  our  subject  it  may  be  well  to 
define  the  words  horseman  and  rider,  so  that  we  can  bet- 
ter understand  their  true  definitions.  The  word  horse- 
man, in  its  original  and  proper  sense,  is  the  term 
used  to  denote  thorough  skill  in  the  knowledge  and 
management  of  the  horse  under  the  saddle,  while  the 
word  rider  is  applied  to  a  man  on  horseback,  and 
whose  skill  is  described  by  the  prefix  good  or  bad. 
But  at  the  present  time  in  the  United  States  the  word 
"horseman"  is  applied  to  a  man  who  can  ride  a  horse 
fifty  or  a  hundred  miles  on  the  stretch,  or  until  he  drops 
dead  while  the  rider  survives.  To  a  man  who  likes, 
fancies,  sells,  buys,  cleans,  drives,  trades  or  spends  his 
time  or  money  with  horses,  while  he  may  have  no  dispo- 
sition or  ability  to  get  on  a  horse's  back,  this  slang  word, 
"  horseman,"  is  applied.  The  terms  horseman  and  rider 
are  equivalent  to  the  words  musician  and  player,  for 
while  any  number  of  people  can  play,  but  a  small  per- 
centage of  them  are  musicians.  It  is  unfortunate  that 
the  word  horseman,  like  the  word  city,  should  take  such 
(16) 


HORSEMANSHIP  AND  TRAINING.  17 

a  wide  and  meaningless  range.  But  in  using  the  words 
farther  on,  the  reader  will  understand  our  meaning  of 
both,  for  with  us  they  are  by  no  means  synonymous,  any 
more  than  speaker  and  orator  are  in  tbe  oral  world. 

HORSEMANSHIP. 

Horsemanship  is  considered  by  some  to  be  more  of  an 
art  than  a  science — that  one  has  nothing  to  do  but  to  learn 
the  knack  of  sticking  on  and  then  ram  a  horse  at  a  fence, 
whether  he  will  or  no,  and  expect  a  safe  leap  beyond  all 
perad venture,  not  considering  that  the  source  of  the 
bound  is  in  the  horse's  brain,  which  must  be  prepared  be- 
fore the  body.  Art  is  manifested  in  matter,  in  operations 
of  the  physique,  while  science  appertains  to  the  mind — 
the  invisible.  The  man  at  the  helm  understands  the  art 
of  steering,  while  science  and  the  compass  tell  him  where 
to  go.  Thus,  in  horsemanship  art  and  science  are  com- 
bined, and  so  closely  connected  in  any  critical  perform- 
ance that  they  are  inseparable  for  success.  The  theory 
and  practice  must  be  united,  as  well  in  the  horse  as  in 
his  rider,  for  in  equestrian  feats  these  are  the  exercise 
and  power  of  mind  over  matter,  and  when  theory  and 
practice  are  united  and  in  proportion,  and  the  material 
and  opportunities  good,  success  follows. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  think  that  strength  and  brute  force, 
or  hap-hazard  practice,  will  insure  success.  If,  to  keep 
the  ship  in  her  regular  course  and  prevent  her  shipping 
a  sea,  a  gentle  touch  of  the  hand  on  the  wheel  will  suf- 
fice, what  an  infinitesimal  touch  on  the  reins  should 
suffice  to  guide,  with  the  same  hand,  so  small  an  animal 
as  a  horse.  Yet  we  often  see  the  reins  and  bit  handled 
with  the  same  amount  of  strength  that  would  manage 
the  rudder  of  a  seventy-four-gun  battle-ship. 

By  way  of  distinction  we  designate  the  bridle  with  a 
single  bit  and  two  reins,  like  the  Pelham  bridle,  a  double- 
reined  bridle,  for  the  reason  that  it  has  only  one  bit,  one 


18  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

headstall  and  two  reins,  and.  is  therefore  double-reined. 
But  the  bridle  Avitli  two  bits,  two  headstalls  and  two 
reins,  like  the  bit  and  bridoon,  is  a  double  bridle  in 
three  respects.  It  is  customary  to  call  the  bit  and  bri- 
doon a  double-reined  bridle,  but  as  it  has  three  distinct 
sets  we  consider  it  a  double  bridle. 

In  referring  to  the  bits  or  bridles  we  will  designate 
each  name  or  number,  as  may  be  convenient.  These 
are  the  great  and  ordinary  bits  of  the  world,  and 
although  they  are  used  in  different  ways,  both  double 
and  sinorle,  and  additions  are  made  to  render  them 
stronger,  more  secure  or  ornamental,  to  suit  the  fancy 
and  special  cases,  they  all  answer  the  same  purpose,  that 
of  controlling  the  horse  according  to  his  peculiar  dispo- 
sition and  the  seryice  required  of  him.  As  a  general 
rule,  horses  that  require  bits  of  extraordinary  j^ower  or 
severity  are  either  naturally  vicious  or  headstrong,  or 
were  spoiled  in  breaking,  the  latter  being  the  most  pro- 
lific cause. 

As  we  cannot  satisfactorily  describe  a  bit  without  de- 
scribing its  peculiar  uses  and  effects  upon  the  horse,  we 
must  allude  to  training,  riding,  driving  and  horseman- 
ship, and  the  advantages  of  skill  and  proficiency  in 
handling  the  reins,  and  shall  begin  with 

THE   MOUTHIXG   BIT. 

This  is  the  first  and  only  bit  that  should  be  used  with 
a  young  horse  during  his  first  year's  training  or  breaking 
into  the  use  of  the  bit,  in  any  shape  for  riding  or  driving, 
or  until  he  is  put  to  his  future  employment,  be  that  the 
saddle  or  harness.  In  breaking  in  a  young  horse  the 
evil  most  to  be  feared  is  the  chafins:  or  cuttins^  of  the 
corners  of  his  mouth  by  the  pressure  of  a  bad  bit — bad 
for  the  purpose  of  mouthing.  The  regular  mouthing  bit, 
represented  on  page  16,  is  a  large-sized,  clumsy  snaffle, 
with  one  joint  in  the  center  between  the  bars.     The  bars 


HORSEMAI^SHIP   AND   TRAINING.  19 

are  an  inch  thick  at  the  guards  and  taper  slightly  to  the 
joint,  from  which  a  flat  oval  plate  of  steel  about  an  inch 
and  a  quarter  or  so  long  is  suspended  by  two  small  rings, 
and  from  three  holes  in  the  lower  edge  of  the  plate  three 
iron  tags  hang. 

The  operations  of  this  bit  are  as  follows  :  The  thick 
bars,  at  the  guards,  is  where  they  press  the  corners  of 
the  mouth,  and  being  large  they  are  not  so  apt  to  cut 
and  chafe  the  mouth  as  small  bars  are,  for  by  constant 
chafing  and  breaking  of  the  skin  at  the  tender  and  bare 
part  of  the  mouth  it  becomes  callous,  and  the  horse  is 
apt  to  ignore  the  gentle  pull  of  the  reins  ;  and  by  the 
driver's  getting  in  the  habit  of  pulling  at  the  bit,  he 
himself  becomes  a  puller  by  degrees,  thinking  that  that 
is  what  his  driver  wants  him  to  do,  for  horses  are  often 
puzzled  to  know  what  we  mean,  and  to  know  how  to  use 
the  bit  so  as  to  reach  their  understanding  is  the  result  of 
theory  and  practice.  The  tags  upon  the  oval  plate  hang 
upon  and  tickle  the  horse's  tongue,  and  thus  keep  him 
playing  with  the  bit,  his  mouth  in  motion  and  himself  on. 
the  move.  The  guards  are  double  and  long  to  prevent  the 
possibility  of  drawing  the  bit  through  the  mouth,  and 
thus  giving  the  horse  an  advantage  in  a  struggle  with 
his  trainer. 

The  rings  are  large  to  admit  of  strong  headstall  and 
reins,  which  are  buckled  on,  and  are  so  adjusted  as  to 
be  just  long  enough  to  reach  and  fasten  on  to  the  surcin- 
gle when  the  horse's  head  is  in  its  most  natural  and  easy 
position.  The  reins  should  be  fastened  to  the  surcingle, 
so  as  to  pull  straight  and  square  for  this  purpose ;  if  the 
reins  are  not  so  made,  a  knot  should  be  tied  on  the  loop 
of  the  reins  and  the  loop,  being  exactly  in  the  centre, 
fastened  to  the  terret  on  the  pad  of  the  surcingle,  so  as  to 
keep  the  horse's  head  straight  to  prevent  accidents  and 
ensure  an  evenly  made  mouth  and  carriage.  A  crupper  is 
used  to  keep  the  surcingle  in  its  place,  and  especially  so 


20  THE   BKIDLE   BITo. 

when  the  reins  are  shortened  as  the  mouthing  progresses. 
In  the  future  degrees  of  mouthing  and  breaking  in,  in  the 
progress  of  which  we  are  to  be  led  or  guided  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  pupil,  when  disposition  and  temper  are  a 
study,  a  well  set  up  horse  has  his  mouth  on  a  level 
with  the  line  of  his  back  ;  but  while  we  cannot  change 
the  natural  angle  of  a  neck,  we  can  improve  it  a  little  as 
to  grace,  whatever  may  be  the  angle.  This  is  to  be  at- 
tended to  in  the  first  lessons  in  mouthing.  There  is 
nothing  better  calculated  to  expose  the  '^lunk-head" 
than  the  usins:  of  all  sorts  of  contrivances  to  make  him 
hold  his  head  up,  and  thus  try  to  play  carriage-horse 
with  a  plow -horse. 

FIRST   DEGREE. 

The  colt  is  now  patted,  caressed  and  turned  loose  into 
a  yard  or  paddock  where  he  can  walk  about  playing  with 
his  bit,  and  where  he  feels  disposed  to  make  friends  with 
any  person  he  can  reach  by  walking  up  coaxingl}^  ex- 


Fig.  2. — SECOND  LESSON  IK   TRAINING. 

pecting  or  asking,  in  horse  pantomime,  to  take  the  thing 
off.  ^Ye  can  fancy  how  he  feels,  and  how  charitably  we 
should  feel  towards  him  while  he  is  studying  his  A,  B,  C. 
In  this  way  he  learns  to  yield  to  the  pressure  of  the  bit, 
and  becomes  so  sensitive  to  the  least  pull  of  the  reins 
that  the  motion  of  his  tail  will  affect  the  crupper  and 
communicate  the  touch  through  the  reins  to  his  mouth. 
We  are  now  making  a  mouth  for  a  horseman,  not  for  a 
mere  rider  who  depends  on  the  reins  for  his  seat.   Resist- 


HORSEMANSHIP   AND  TRAINING.  21 

ance  to  the  pull  of  the  rein  is  what  the  mouthing  bit  and 
these  lessons  teach  the  colt  not  to  try.  He  is  like  a 
man  in  a  straight-Jacket — he  can  do  nothing. 

All  the  articles  used  in  the  first  lesson  are  the  mouthing 
bit,  crupper  and  surcingle,  and  should  not  be  changed 
until  the  second  degree  requires  something  else.  To 
facilitate  the  making  of  the  mouth  and  obedience  to  the 
touch  of  the  reins  on  this  bit,  two  hard  rope  lines,  fif- 
teen feet  long,  with  handles  made  of  double  plaited  rope 
the  thickness  of  a  clothes-line.  These  should  be  fastened  by 
spring  hooks  to  the  rings  of  the  bit  and  passed  through 
the  terrets  on  the  surcingle,  and  the  trainer,  taking  the 
reins  in  both  hands,  drive  the  colt  quietly  on  a  beaten 
track  that  he  knows  ;  and  when  used  to  this,  after  several 
lessons,  place  a  number  of  wagons,  carts,  buggies,  etc.. 


Fig.  3.— HANDLING  KEEN. 

about  forty  feet  apart,  and  drive  him  through  them 
quietly  on  a  walk,  making  the  figure  8,  right  and  left 
and  back  again.  As  the  colt  learns  these  lessons  and 
goes  through  the  wagons,  turning  of  his  own  accord,  place 
the  wagons  closer  together,  thus  making  the  turns  shorter. 
When  he  knows  what  you  want  him  to  do  he  will  like 
the  exercise,  and  expect  to  be  petted  when  his  daily  busi- 
ness is  over  and  his  head  rubbed  with  a  wisp. 

Handles  of  reins  are  about  two  feet  long,  and  the  reins 
one  and  a  half  inch  in  diameter ;  and  the  lines  are  one- 
half  inch  in  diameter.  The  cavesson  and  lunge  are  used 
in  the  third  and  future  degrees. 

Time,  patience,  gentleness  and  regularity  with  the  use 
of  these  three  instruments  and  the  reins  are  necessary 
to  break  in  and  make  the  mouth  what  it  should  be,  es- 
pecially for  the  saddle.  Instead  of  this,  most  young 
horses  come  to  our  city  markets  broken  in  with  all  kinds 
of  bits ;  frequently  with  small  sharp  bits,  with  which  colts 


22  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

are  usually  ridden  by  farm  boys  after  the  cows — and 
when  put  in  liarness,  and  are  at  all  fast,  are  trained  on 
the  road  to  pull  the  bno^o^y  bv  the  bit,  for  which  accom- 
plishment  they  are  recommended  as  ^^ smart"  and 
"  likely  critters."  The  young  horse  is  thus  brought  to 
the  sale  stable  and  sold  to  a  new  master,  when  he  has  to 
undergo  the  torture  of  submitting  to  strange  yoices, 
hands,  feed,  place,  smells,  saddle,  harness,  work  and  bit. 
But  we  have  him  fresh,  perhaps,  from  the  farm  yard, 
and  the  questions  are  :  What  is  he  ht  for  ?  What  bit  has 
he  been  broken  with  ?  What  bit  will  he  bear  and  go  best 
with  ?  If  he  was  handled  on  the  farm  it  is  likely  he 
never  had  a  moutliing  bit  or  cavesson  on,  and  that  the 
man  who  bred  or  broke  him  never  used  or  even  saw  a 
mouthing  bit,  cavesson  or  lunge,  or  would  know  what 
they  were  for  if  he  did  see  them. 

These  are  some  of  the  risks  we  have  to  run  in  selectins^ 
a  young  horse  for  a  special  use.  A  young  horse  is  like  a 
girl ;  he  must  be  tried  in  harness  befoi'e  we  can  tell  what 
his  future  will  be  A  girl  don't  remain  what  she  is.  If 
she  is  good,  she  gets  better  aft'^r  marriage.  If  she  is  bad, 
she  gets  worse.  Bad  dispositioned  giiis  seldom  reform 
with  experience,  and  generally  get  worse  and  more  hate- 
ful under  oppression  or  coercion,  while  many  are  beyond 
the  reach  of  kindness.  If  the  colt  has  been  pretty  well 
broken  in,  in  the  farmer's  way,  for  general  use,  the  work 
he  is  to  do,  and  the  bit  he  is  to  wear  for  the  future  at  that 
work,  should  be  judiciously  selected  and  put  on  an 
old  and  easv-fittins^  headstall,  and  if  he  takes  to  it  and  it 
suits  him  it  should  never  be  changed,  nor  he  from,  his 
adopted  service.  He  will  not  make  a  saddle-horse  to-day 
and  a  harness-horse  to-morrow.  His'  life  is  too  short  to 
learn  any  two  things  perfecth^  as  the  means  used  to 
train  him  for  one  occupation  neutralizes  his  proficiency  in 
the  other.  If  you  select  him  for  a  saddle-horse,  take  care 
that  he  is  one.     The  saddle-horse  is  created,  not  made. 


HORSEMANSHIP   AND   TRAINING.  23 

We  may  make  his  mouth  and  teach  him  to  do  many 
things,  so  that  we  can  use  his  natural,  mental  and  physical 
(qualifications  in  teaching  him  accomplishments,  and  to 
look  upon  his  rider  as  his  friend  and  companion  ;  but, 
while  these  are  natural  under  proper  treatment  in  this 
peculiar  service,  he  was  a  saddle-horse  before  he  was 
foaled.  If  -not,  he  never  could  be  made  one,  although  he 
could  be  used  and  tortured  as  a  riding  horse  ;  but  he 
don't  '^  fill  the  bill." 

In  dwelling  on  the  term  saddle-horse  we  do  so  to  im- 
press the  reader  with  the  idea  that  he  is  a  peculiar  speci- 
men of  the  species.  He  is  the  embodiment  of  all  that  is 
great  and  grand  in  the  equine  nature — in  his  breeding, 
shape,  figure,  symmetry,  quality,  muscle,  bone,  dura- 
bility, mettle,  endurance,  temper,  disposition,  instincts, 
style,  action,  intellect  and  pluck,  all  of  which  require  lo 
be  of  the  first  order,  for  he  has  many  things  to  learn  in 
the  space  of  some  five  years,  when  he  must  be  able  to 
master  his  profession  before  he  gets  too  stiff  to  please, 
and  to  take  things  as  they  come.  Yet,  with  all  the  above 
qualities,  he  may  be  unsound  and  not  worth  a  rap.  But 
if  he  possess  all  the  qualities  we  seek,  and  it  is  intended 
we  shall  require  in  him,  no  wonder  he  is  associated  with 
angels  and  chariots  in  heaven,  as  represented  in  many 
parts  of  the  Bible,  and  especially  in  Eevelations.  His 
work  is  so  varied,  and  at  times  so  complicated,  that,  fail- 
ing in  respect  to  one  qualification,  he  would  be  sure  to 
fail  in  some  performance  at,  perhaps,  a  critical  moment 
when  life  or  death,  loss  or  gain,  depended  on  his  per- 
fection in  one  point  and  performance  therewith.  "When 
we  occasionally  see  a  born  saddle-horse,  or  the  material 
for  one,  we  folio \\^  him  with  a  covetous  eye,  and  wonder 
if  he  ever  went  to  school  and  if  his  owner  knows  what  he 
has  got. 

But,  apart  from  a  day  with  the  fox  or  stag  hounds,  the 
saddle-horse,  for  mere  pleasure  in  the  less  arduous  duties 


^4  THE  BRIDLE  BITS. 

of  an  ordinary  ridin^-liorse,  should  have  all  the  above 
qualities,  which,  although  undeveloped,  give  him  the 
moral  and  physical  aptitude  for  pleasure  and  general  ser- 
vice under  the  saddle,  as  well  as  the  usual  desire  for  the 
companionship  of  his  rider  and  ready  obedience  to  his 
will.  The  saddle-horse  is  different  from  the  racer,  which 
is  bred,  kept  and  used  as  a  racer  alone,  the  only  object  in 
breeding  and  training  him  being  speed.  The  latter  is 
earning  his  living  under  the  pig-skin  before  the  saddle- 
horse  is  taken  in  hand  to  mouth  and  train,  or  is  even 
backed.  If  forty  years  ago  our  fancy  time  was  '^2:40," 
and  by  mere  breeding  and  training  for  trotting  alone  we 
have  come  down  to  2:8y^,  what  wonderful  feats  are  pos- 
sible for  the  saddle-horse  which  has  all  the  necessary 
qualities  and  all  required  advantages  in  training  for 
both  the  trotter  and  steeple-chaser,  if  he  be  properly 
bitted,  mouthed,  trained  and  ridden.  For  if  the  six- 
teenth of  a  second  makes  the  difference  between  victory 
and  defeat  in  trotting,  what  a  difference  there  must  be 
between  the  certainty  and  uncertainty  of  the  perform- 
ance of  a  hunter  that  is  properly  and  one  that  is  im- 
properly handled,  when  the  future  of  a  man's  neck  de- 
pends on  that  difference  !  The  few  accidents  that  occur 
in  a  winter's  hunting  in  the  British  Isles,  with  one  h  un- 
dred  and  twenty-four  (124)  packs  of  hounds,  bear  amjDle 
evidence  of  the  perfection  of  the  system  adopted  in  breed- 
ing, training,  and  the  principles  and  skill  practiced  in 
riding,  which  is  the  greatest  and  most  perfect  of  all  the 
different  kinds  of  horsemansliip  throughout  the  world; 
for  the  horse  and  his  rider  must  be  of  one  mind  in  tak- 
ing the  chances  that,  under  the  most  favorable  circum- 
stances, attend  the  strain  that  is  forced  upon  both  in 
taking  a  leap  that,  in  cool  blood,  would  seem  like  mad- 
ness. 

It  is  an  interesting  coincidence,  that  during  the  last 
forty  years  the  reduction  of  trotting  time  has  kept  pace 


UORSEMANSniP  AND  TRAINING.  25 

with  that  of  tlie  ships'  voyage  to  and  from  Europe.  The 
trotting  time  has  been  reduced  in  the  ratio  of  a  second  to 
a  day,  Le.,  from  2:40  in  1840  to  2:8 y,  in  1885,  while  the 
voyages  of  forty  days  in  1840  are  reduced  to  seven  in. 
1886,  thus  gaining  the  advantage  of  thirty-three  days, 
and  on  the  trotting  of  eight  and  three-quarter  seconds. 
In  this  respect  the  telegraph  and  the  telej^hone  have  had 
a  pretty  close  race,  but  whether  the  trotter  will  ever 
exist  that  will  reduce  the  time  by  two  seconds  and  three- 
quarters  and  thus  get  even  with  the  voyages  is  a  question 
of  great  interest  to  breeders.  That  it  will  occur  we  have 
no  doubt,  for  there  are  many  geldings  of  extraordinary 
capacity  that  miglit  have  worked  wonders  in  the  stables 
had  they  been  kejjt  as  sires. 

Any  person  possessing  a  taste  for  riding  or  driving 
must  admire  the  variety  and  perfection  of  the  bits  manu- 
factured in  England,  some  of  which  are  here  represent- 
ed. The  best  maker  is  rewarded  by  the  j^atronage  of  the 
crown,  and  he  becomes  *^  maker  to  Her  Majesty."  This 
is  his  patent,  and  he  is  then  patronized  by  the  connois- 
seurs— the  rank,  wealth  and  fashion  of  the  land — and 
the  demand  for  exportation  to  the  colonies  and  the 
United  States  is  enormous.  To  get  the  most  out  of  every- 
thing with  the  greatest  facility,  the  very  best  articles  are 
used.    This  is  so  in  the  choice  of  saddle  and  harness  bits. 

Some  parents  and  teachers  are  too  apt  to  put  inferior 
instruments  or  tools  into  the  hands  of  children,  if  they 
put  any  ;  and  if  any  person  objects,  they  say,  "  Oh,  it  is 
good  enough  for  a  child  ;"  so,  on  this  principle  the  child 
is  expected  to  succeed  in  doing  something  with  a  tool 
that  the  very  best  workman  or  professor  could  not  use 
successfully.  Look  at  the  box  of  tools  that  is  given  to  a 
little  boy.  There  is  no  steel  in  any  of  them,  and  having 
no  edge  they  won't  cut,  and  nobody  would  take  the 
trouble  to  sharpen  them  if  they  had.  So  the  child's 
efforts  to  follow  the  example  of  some  man  he  saw  at  work, 


26  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

fail,  and  he  becomes  discouraged  after  repeated  trials. 
Instead  of  the  best  kind  of  drawing  pencil  and  paper,  in- 
ferior paper,  and  perhaps  a  slide  case-pencil  is  given  him 
to  draw  with  ;  and  when  he  tries  his  best,  with  his  nose 
on  the  paper  and  his  tongue  out,  he  fails  to  represent 
anything.  Then,  when  he  tells  his  mother  that  he  can- 
not do  it,  she  says,  *^0h,  go  on  ;  try  again."  '^But  I 
can't  mamma."  '^  Well,  then  go  to  bed."  This  is  sense 
Ts.  instinct.  The  time  comes  in  after-life  when  we  look 
back  at  the  useless  things  that  were  put  into  our  hands 
while  children,  struggling  to  learn  that  which  with  the 
very  best  advantages  was  a  strain  upon  the  child's  pa- 
tience and  faculties,  and  unproductive  of  any  advantage. 

This  is  unfortunately  often  so  with  the  young  horse. 
Anything  in  the  shape  of  a  bit  or  bridle  is  thought 
good  enough  for  a  colt.  So  intelligent  an  animal  as  a 
horse  must,  like  the  child,  wonder  why  he  can't  do  what 
seems  perfectly  easy  when  done  by  others.  The  fact  is 
that  with  an  inferior  bit,  a  man  fails  to  convey  an  idea  to 
the  colt.  We  have  a  quasi  equestrian  monument  in  our 
mind's  eye,  to  be  erected  to  the  memory  of  and  out  of  re- 
spect for  Mr.  Bergh,  for  his  having  procured  a  laAv  to 
protect  horses,  and  that  makes  '^assault  and  battery"  in 
the  stable  a  penal  offense.  But  his  full  measure  of 
charity  for  the  horse  will  never  be  exhausted  until  he 
regulates  by  law  the  width  of  the  horse-stalls,  which  are 
now  so  narrow  that  a  poor,  tired  horse  can't  straighten 
out  his  legs  when  he  lies  down.  Mr.  Bergh  liimseK 
knows,  perhaps,  how  he  suffers  in  a  night's  journey  in  a 
train,  when  he  can't  straighten  out  his  legs. 

There  is  a  very  prolific  source  of  abuse  in  chucking  at 
the  horse's  mouth  with  the  reins  to  make  him  go  on  or 
stop.  With  a  severe  bit,  this  is  torture;  with  any  bit,  it 
is  crueltv  and  Avroiis^  under  anv  circumstances,  unless  in 
a  necessary  case.  The  horse  throws  his  head  up  as  if  to 
say,  '^Stop  !   I  will  !   I  will !— don't  !   don't  !"     But  the 


HOKSEMANSUIP   AKD   TRAINING.  27 

heartless  savage  chucks  the  more,  to  punish  the  horse 
for,  perhaps,  a  little  impatience  under  the  pressure  of  late 
hours  and  an  empty  stomach  that  makes  a  horse,  as  well 
as  a  man,  impatient.  We  don't  beheve  there  is  one  civil 
riding  master  in  twenty  who  instructs  his  pupils  in  the 
nature  and  uses  of  the  bits  he  gives  them  to  handle.  Are 
there  any  ?  Equestrian  pupils  are  left  to  find  out  and  learn 
from  others  as  best  they  may,  as  boys  in  public  schools  are 
left  to  tbemseh^es  to  learn  to  write  without  regular  daily 
instruction.  It  is  well  they  are  not  allowed  to  take  tlieir 
copies  home.     Why  ? 

In  parts  of  the  world  where  it  is  considered  superfluous 
to  devote  either  time,  patienc^  or  kindness  in  breaking 


Fif2;.  4. — WILD. 

in  young  horses,  brute  force  and  cruelty  are  resorted  to, 
and  they  soon  tell  on  the  sjDirit  of  the  animal,  which 
never  recovers  from  the  unnatural  treatment  and  abuse. 
The  Mexican  lop-eared  ass  is  an  evidence  of  this,  for 
cruelty  is  the  only  word  he  seems  to  utter  or  represent, 
wdth  a  repeated  Au-eh?  Au.  We  captured  a  band  of  wild 
horses  on  the  plains  of  the  Pacific  slope  in  the  early  days 
('49)  of  California,  and  while  handling  a  young,  spirited 
animal,  with  appropriate  consideration  for  his  surprise  at 
being  a  captive,  a  Chilian,  who  was  looking  on,  said,  on 
seeing  our  treatment  of  the  colt:  '^'That  is  not  the  way 
we  break  in  horses  in  Chili."  As  we  were  curious  to 
know  the  course  pursued  there,  Ave  handed  him  over  the 
colt  to  break  in  according  to  his  Chilian  method.  He 
tied  the  colt's  head,  with  a  lasso,  to  a  tree  in  his  front. 


28  THE    BRIDLE    BITS. 

and  tied  one  hind  leg  by  the  foot  to  a  tree  in  his  rear, 
giving  the  colt  about  six  feet  play  of  both  ropes.  He 
now  took  off  his  jacket  (red  leather  of  native  tan  and 
grease),  and  taking  it  by  the  collar,  beat  the  horse  in  tlie 
head,  right  and  left,  until  he  (the  Chilian)  was  as  tired 
of  the  performance  as  we  were  at  seeing  the  Lrutal  Chilian 
plan.  We  stood  amazed  at  the  process,  and  although  our 
blood  ooiled  with  indigT.ation,  we  resisted  the  temptation 
to  interfere,  for  it  is  by  doing  wrong  that  we  learn  to  do 
right,  and  as  this  wac  an  experience  new  to  us  we  were 
willing  to  sacrifice  a  wild  horse  to  learn  from  it.     The 


result  of  this  beating  was,  as  both  the  Chilian  and  we 
expected,  perfectly  successful.  The  colt  was  tame  beyond 
conception  from  the  time  he  was  taken  from  the  trees, 
and  gave  no  further  trouble  in  handling  ;  but  his  spirit 
in  that  short  time  was  broken,  as  the  horse  life  was  taken 
out  of  him  forcA'er,  and  so  perfectly  subdued  was  he 
that  he  walked  listlessly  about  with  his  head  and  ears 
down,  heedless  of  what  went  on  around  him. 

This,  of  course,  was  abuse  in  the  extreme,  but  it  serves 
to  show  that  mililer  acts  of  cruelty  and  rough  treatment 
have  proportionate  effects,  and  that  a  timid  young  horse, 
while  bridled  up  in  a  new  position,  with  his  mouth  full 
of  loose  iron  annoying  him,  should  be  kept  out  of  the 


nORSEMANSniP  AKD   TRAINING.  29 

hands  of  a  man  who  loses  temper  and  patience  at  his 
awkwardness  and  unintentional  disobedience  or  mistakes. 
Besides,  some  men  with  tlie  best  intentions  have  peculiar 
ideas  of  what  is  right ;  and  as  there  are  men  born  for 
every  business  in  life,  those  who  have  dealings  with  the 
minds  and  dispositions  of  animals  should  be  selected  ac- 
cording to  principle,  and  thus  the  right  man  put  in  the 
right  place.  Yet  in  the  family  circle,  as  well  as  in  the 
stable,  there  are  men  with  furious  tempers  who  are  can- 
didates for  love,  domestic  happiness  and  willing  obedi- 
ence of  all  around  them..  How  common  it  is  for  an 
inconsiderate,  nervous  *^ crank"  to  take  a  young,  inexpe- 
rienced and  timid  girl  at  her  parents'  hands  to  wife,  and 


Fig.  6. — TAMED. 

expect  her  to  fall  into  all  his  ways  and  pleasures,  and 
please  him  in  all  his  whims  and  fancies.  And  when  she 
fails  in  trifling  points,  she  has  to  submit  to  his  irritable 
disposition  and  sallies  of  temper,  and  thus,  before  she 
has  had  time  to  know  his  nature  and  ways,  his  likes  and 
dislikes,  and  to  learn  to  comply  with  a  heart-felt  desire 
to  please,  her  spirit  becomes  broken.  The  strain  is 
put  on  too  soon,  and  many  a  good  girl  gets  sjooiled  by 
such  men,  wiio  think  the  whole  art  and  science  of  j^leas- 
ing  must  be  embodied  in  their  wives'  dispositions,  and 
none  in  their  own.  The  anger,  selfishness  and  unkind 
treatment  of  sach  men  are  out  of  proportion  to  the  sup- 
posed neglect  or  offence.  It  is  unfortunately  sometimes 
so  on  both  sides,  '^^when  Greek  meets  Greek." 

But,  fortunately  for  our  equine  companion,  we  find  this 


30  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

less  common  in  the  stable  than  in  the  social  circle,  where 
the  girl  or  the  boy  at  a  certain  age  has  some  means  of 
defeuce  from  undue  jmrental  coercion  and  restraint,  but 
wherever  they  go  they  are  apt  to  carry  in  their  expression 
that  peculiar  and  unmistakable  hang-dog  lip  and  cheek 
as  evidence  of  sulk  and  dissatisfaction  incident  to  cuffing 
and  scolding,  forced  obedience,  and  consequently  unhappy 
homes,  like  the  Mexican  ass.  Forcing  compliance  in 
either  man  or  beast,  is  done  under  protest  of  the  forced, 
at  every  step,  rather  than  through  a  spirit  of  cheerful 
compliance,  fostered  by  that  kind  and  gentle  treatment 
to  which  the  domestic  animal  will  always  yield.  The 
child  that  is  scolded,  the  dog  that  is  whipped  and  kicked, 
the  woman  who  has  an  irritable,  nervous  crank  to  please, 
and  the  horse  that  is  chucked,  are  alike  ruined  in  such 
moulding  of  their  tempers  and  dispositions.  Persons 
thus  persecuted  have  two  faces — one  for  the  house  and 
the  other  for  the  street.  The  house  face  prevails,  because 
it  is  most  used. 

THE   SADDLE-HORSE* 

If  the  reader  has  a  fancy  for  the  saddle,  we  would  like 
to  have  him  understand  that  the  saddle-horse's  mouth 
is,  or  should  be,  very  sensitive  to  the  guiding  touch  of 
the  reins,  while  it  should  resist  the  straight  pull  in  being 
lifted  at  the  leap.  This  strain  should  come  on  the  bit 
from  both  reins  equally,  to  insure  which  the  reins  must 
be  held  in  only  one  hand,  and  that  the  left,  assisted,  if  re- 
required,  by  tlie  right  or  whip  hand.  The  best  bit  for 
this  purpose  is  the  plain  snaffle.  Being  simple  in  its 
operation,  it  is  less  apt  to  confuse  a  horse  than  any  other 
bit  used  in  riding.  If  held  by  expert  hands,  it  is  not  so 
apt  as  others  to  give  uncertain  signals  and  cause  the 
horse  to  make  mistakes  at  critical  moments,  when  it  is 
out  of  his  or  his  rider's  power  to  rectify  them.  The 
voice  of  the  rider  and  not  the  bit  should  have  a  2:eneral 


HORSEMANSHIP  AND   TRAINING. 


31 


controlling  influence,  as  much  so  in  proportion  as  the 
balance  seat  should  support  the  rider  in  the  saddle  in- 
stead of  the  reins,  and  it  is  in  this  that  the  horseman 


has  the  advantage. 


STEPS   AND   MOTIONS. 


Every  horse  has  a  peculiar  step  and  motion,  either  easy 
or  rough.  Under  the  saddle  they  are  felt  more  than  in 
any  other  service.     As  the  horse  is  built  so  are  his  steps 


Fig.  7.  — SNAFFLE  BIT. 

and  motions,  and  like  those  of  men,  they  cannot  be  ma- 
terially changed,  for  the  peculiar  shape  and  construction 
of  the  frame  naturally  creates  them ;  while  the  riding 
and  the  bit  used  may  tend  to  make  them  better  or  worse 
in  the  horse.  The  fox-trot  is  the  gait  of  a  spoiled  horse. 
This  gait  is  created  by  bad  riding,  or  by  using  the  bit  and 
bridoon  at  the  same  time.  With  this  gait  it  is  ^Hieads 
or  tails"  which  gets  tired  first — the  horse  or  the  rider. 

The  flat-footed  man,  instead  of  walking  from  his  toe, 
walks  from  the  inner  side  of  his  foot ;  his  step  is  short, 
and  having  no  holloAv  in  his  foot,  he  cannot  bend  it  and 
he  consequently  picks  up  his  foot  before  his  step  is  quite 
finished.  Horses,  in  the  same  way,  from  either  some 
malformation  or  the  use  of  the  wrong  bit,  badly  chosen 
and  worse  held,  have  very  objectionable  gaits  and  mo- 


32  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

tions.  We  have  heard  pupils  of  both  sexes  profess  a  dis- 
like to  riding,  for  the  probable  reason  that  they  were  put 
on  such  horses  to  take  their  first  lessons  and  became  dis- 
gusted. A  dog-cart  that  goes  hop-pid-de-bob  would  be  a 
bad  vehicle  to  recommend  to  a  novice,  if  we  wanted  his 
opinion  of  the  pleasure  of  driving. 

A  well-proportioned  horse  has  no  naturally  contracted 
motions,  and  the  facility  w4th  which  he  can  do  every- 
thing encourages  him  in  all  his  performances.  He  is 
always  at  his  rider's  service  wath  a  cheerful  air.  He 
should  be  ridden  with  a  snaffle  ;  or,  if  he  has  on  a  bit- 
and-bridoon,  ride  him  in  ordinary  on  the  bridoon.  He 
w^ants  to  be  free,  and  the  curb  is  out  of  place  with  him 
except  on  special  occasions,  when  it  serves  the  double 
purpose  of  either  showing  off  or  gathering  him  ujd  for  a 
canter. 

HESITATIXQ   STEPS. 

The  difference  between  the  step  of  a  horse  going  from 
his  stable  and  that  on  his  returning  to  it,  is  very  great. 
The  former  is  hesitating  and  disagreeable  under  the  sad- 
dle, while  the  latter  is  most  desirable  and  pleasant  to  the 
rider  ;  yet  both  the  rider  and  driver  feel  the  reluctance 
with  which  he  steps  out  in  the  former,  while  in  the 
latter  he  is  like  another  horse — free  and  easy.  A  know- 
ing owner  will,  for  this  reason,  let  his  horse  be  tried  by 
the  purchaser  on  his  return  to  his  stable,  if  he  be  one  of 
the  hesitating  kind. 

KATUKE,    AET  AKD   SCIENCE. 

Nature  and  her  daughter.  Art,  must  unite  in  the  phy- 
sical and  mental  training  of  the  saddle-horse.  AVhen 
ready,  Art  calls  in  her  sister.  Science,  to  her  aid  to  enable 
her  to  perform  great  or  critical  feats  by  combining  the 
efforts  of  the  three,  and  uniting,  with  the  indispensable 
power  of  science,  the  ideas  of  two  heads  on  one  thing. 


HOKSEMANSHIP   AND   TRAINING.  33 

Then  the  sleight-of-hand  in  the  use  of  the  bit  and  the 
impercei3tible  motions  of  the  rider's  body  and  limbs,  and 
sound  of  liis  voice,  are  the  qualities  necessary  to  eques- 
trian success.  A  saddle-horse  is  like  a  piano — to  get 
what  you  want  out  of  him,  you  must  use  your  legs  and 
arms,  feet  and  hands,  eyes  and  ears,  mind  and  heart, 
voice  and  vigor,  body  and  soul.  This  is  the  result  of 
time,  patience  and  careful  study  and  practice  for  years. 

DIFFERENCE   IN   HORSES'   IDEAS. 

The  difforcnce  between  horses'  ideas  is  so  great  that, 
while  one  is  impatient  to  go  on,  another  is  v/iitching  for 
excuses  to  stop,  or  he  hesitates  in  his  step  till  a  hint  from 
the  knees  or  touch  of  the  spurs  gives  him  to  understand 
what  you  want  him  to  do.  Hold  the  bridoon,  slack  the 
curb-rein,  give  him  the  spurs  and  let  him  off — in  a  walk. 
Well  patronized  country  taverns  are  famous  places  for 
buggy-horses  to  find  excuses  to  practice  their  propensity 
to  stop  and  turn  in.  The  advantage  of  this  is,  that  a 
man  always  knows  where  to  find  his  runaway  horse. 
These  are  good  horses  for  drinking  drivers ;  they  take 
them  straight  home.  Indecision  or  uncertainty  in  the 
rider's  mind  or  action  is  so  instantaneously  communi- 
cated to  the  saddle-horse,  that  we  vrould  urge  more  care- 
ful schooling  of  pupils  by  competent  instructors,  and 
this  cannot  begin  too  early  in  life  or  in  the  course  of  in- 
struction. 

instructors'   errors   IN    PRINCIPLE. 

AVith  young  horses  some  trainers,  and  indeed  military 
instructors  and  writers,  advocate  a  svsteni  that  crefotcs 
and  nurtures  doubts  and  uncertainties  in  the  mind  of 
the  horse,  at  a  critical  moment  of  action — a  most  fruit- 
ful source  of  accidents  to  both  horse  and  rider  in  the 
hunting  field.  Their  plan  is  to  ride  the  colt  up  towards 
the  fence  and  then  turn  off  from  it.     This  is  to  be  re- 


34  THE    BRIDLE    BITS. 

peated  with  the  idea  of  making  the  colt  familiar  with  the 
habit  of  approaching  a  fence  quietly.  The  elfect  of  this 
is,  that  the  colt  is  systematically  trained  never  to  be  cer- 
tain of  what  he  is  to  do,  and  as  great  exertions  of  the 
mind  and  muscle  are  necessary  to  take  the  leap,  the  colt 
should  unmistakably  understand,  long  before  he  nears 
it,  that  his  rider  intends  taking  it  at  any  risk,  so  that  he 
may  prepare  in  time  with  both  will  and  muscle-power  to 
gather  himself  for  the  bound. 

A  man  is  not  jjhysically  stronger  one  moment  than  he 
is  the  next,  but  his  will  power  is  greater,  which  gives 
force  power  to  his  mascles  in  action  ;  and  to  have  a 
horse's  mind  and  spirit  prepared  for  action,  is  as  necessary 
as  to  have  the  body  ready  and  in  condition  and  trim  for 
general  use  and  special  performances.  AVe  know  that  this 
is  so  with  ourselves,  and  horses  are  flesh  and  blood,  body 
and  mind,  as  we  are,  and  with  the  advantage  of  peculiar 
instincts,  recpiire  the  same  preiDaration  for  great  physical 
feats ;  yet  how  many  race-horses  fail  by  a  length  that 
could  be  made  up  but  for  their  being  the  victims  of  cus- 
toms and  fashions  which  it  is  not  our  design  to  explain  in 
this  volume.  Those  men  who  have  means  to  indulge  in 
fashions  and  fancy,  are  like  the  cockney  who  went  on  a  visit 
among  country  cousins  that  did  all  sorts  of  extraordi- 
nary things,  which  the  '^green-horn  "  also  did,  because 
everybody  did  them  ;  and  Avhen  he  hesitated  he  was  urged 
on  by  being  told  that  gambling  was  tlie  custom  in  the 
country,  and  that  '^ everybody  did  it."  So  when  he 
lost  all  his  money  and  returned  to  the  city,  he  was 
laughed  at  by  his  friends,  whom  he  told  that  he  couldn't 
help  it,  because  everybody  did  it.  If  the  gentlemen  who 
spend  so  much  time  and  means  on  the  turf,  understood  a 
little  more  of  horse  nature  and  nature's  laws,  their  '' sec- 
onds "  in  the  races  could  be  made  *'  firsts  "  with  very 
little  trouble  and  much  less  expense. 


ENGLISH   VS.    IRISH    RIJHNG. 


35 


CHAPTER    II. 
ENGLISH  VS.  IRISH  RIDING. 

At  one  time,  and  it  may  be  so  still,  the  English  rode 
with  a  slack,  while  the  Irish  rode  with  a  tight  rein.  The 
former  generally  used  the  Pelham  bit,  while  the  latter 
almost  invariably  used  the  snaflSe.  If  these  men  changed 
horses  as  they  stood,  bridles  and  all,  they  would  run  the 
risk  of  breaking  their  respective  necks,  for  although  each 
horse  wore  his  own  bit,  the  manner  of  holding  the  rein 


'^^^^■^^ 


(a.)— ENGLISH, 


Fig.  8.  (&.)— iKiSH. 


being  new  to  each,  the  results,  as  we  see  in  hunting  i^lates, 
might  vary — the  horse  in  or  on  one  side  of  the  fence  and 
the  rider  on  the  other.  Our  invariable  rule  is,  never  to 
face  our  horse,  young  or  old,  to  a  fence  of  any  kind  that 
we  know  he  is  able  to  take,  without  making  him  go  over 
or  through  it  at  the  risk  of  his  neck  or  our  own.  Any 
other  course  is  fraught  with  danger  on  very  trifling  oc- 
casions. Our  rule  is  the  best  to  make  a  safe  and  fearless 
hunter  and  steeple-chaser. 


CONDITION   or   THE   RIDER. 


There  is  no  time  when  the  man  and  horse  are  safer  than 
when  the  rider  has  had  his  dram — just  one  ^Miorn  "  to 
give  force  to  his  intentions.  The  old  hunter  knows  it, 
from  the  dash  and  wild  recklessness  of  his  rider's  manner 


36  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

and  tlie  unmistakable  exercise  of  liis  hand  and  knees. 
Unless  it  is  a  steamboat,  a  barn  or  a  locomotive,  he 
knows  he  has  got  to  take  it  flying ;  and  if  we  can  judge 
from  experience,  equestrian  feats  can  be  performed  under 
such  influence  with  greater  safety  than  by  sober  careful- 
ness, for  confidence  is  imparted  to  the  horse.  He  knows 
from  experience  that  there  is  no  back  out  possible,  and 
that  he  can't  do  his  work  by  halves,  neck  or  nothing 
being  the  rule  on  that  day.  A  few  inevitable  mistakes 
and  falls  over,  in  the  early  training,  make  a  horse  careful 
in  after  years,  and  ensure  a  clean  bound  if  well  ridden, 
to  avoid  a  repetition  of  some  unfortunate  experience  on  a 
similnr  occasion.  It  is  better  to  make  a  bad  leap  than  to 
spoil  the  horse  by  going  back  to  make  another  charge  at 
it.  If  he  refuses,  which  is  justifiable  on  some  accounts, 
it  may  be  from  some  misconception  on  his  j^art  of  his 
rider's  intentions — from  the  slack  of  the  reins  or  relaxa- 
tion of  the  knees — that  the  rider  changed  his  mind,  or  he 
may  have  found  that  his  stride  in  approaching  the  fence 
at  a  canter  would  take  him  either  too  far  from  or  too 
near  the  fence,  and  consequently  refused,  fearing  a  certain 
fall  on  or  fall  over.  But  this  is  the  rider's  lookout,  as  he 
should  be  master  of  the  situation.  His  rider,  however, 
if  a  horseman,  knows  the  cause,  and  taking  him  to  it 
again,  squarely,  goes  over  it  flying.  In  such  possible 
complications  in  the  heat  and  excitement  of  the  moment, 
when  the  hounds  are  in  full  cry,  the  snaffle,  or  the  Pel- 
ham,  used  on  the  snaffle,  are  the  only  riding  bits  proj^er 
to  use  on  those  occasions. 

HORSE-LEAP   CHURCH. 

In  County  West  Meatb,  Ireland,  there  is  a  church 
near  Kilbeggan  called  ''  Horse-leap  Church."  It  takes  its 
name  from  a  great  leap  that  was  made  by  a  horse  while 
out  hunting  with  the  bounds,  over  a  haurene  (narrow 
road)  on  either  side  of  which  there  is  a  stone  wall.     The 


ENGLISH  VS.    IRISH   RIDING. 


37 


baurene  is  wide  enough  for  a  cart  to  pass  over.  The 
horse  took  both  walls  and  road  in  one  leap,  thus  clearing 
all  from  field  to  field.  Although  we  have  seen  the  leap, 
we  are  not  prepared  to  give  heights  and  distances  ;  but 
two  walls  and  a  road  will  give  an  idea  of  the  nature  of 


Fig.  9. — HORSE-LEAP  CHUBCH. 


the  feat.     For  practical  jourposes  the  walls  would  be  at 
least  three  feet  high  and  the  road  twelve  feet  wide. 

In  ordinary  stone-wall  jumping  the  horse  should  break 
off  the  same  distance  from  the  base  that  the  wall  is  high 
to  insure  a  safe  and  flying  leap;  but  in  such  a  leap  as  that 
referred  to  he  should  break  off  at  least  five  feet  from  the 
base  of  the  wall  to  describe  a  segment  of  a  circle  suffi- 
ciently high   to  take  him  over  the   second  wall.     On 


5  f  I 


2  FI 


12  FI 


2  FT 


5fl 


Fig.  10.— JUMPING  THE  BAUEENE. 

approaching  high  walls  and  other  big  fences  the  trained 
hunter  is  given  to  understand  that  a  leap  is  before  him 
and  that  he  is  to  take  it.  The  rider  in  the  above  case 
rode  for  both  walls  and  the  horse  knew  it.     This  was  no 


38  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

chance  leap ;  both  iutended  it,  else  it  could  not  have 
been  done.  The  safest  riding  is  in  taking  the  country 
as  it  comes,  *^  unsight,  unseen  " — **  neck  or  nothing."  By 
this,  the  horse  is  inspired  with  confidence;  knowing  that 
he  must  take  what  comes,  he  takes  equal  chances  with  a 
bold  and  fearless  horseman,  who  must  be  an  expert  rider 
to  ensure  success — for  there  are  some  leaps,  such  as  a  foss 
wall,  that  a  mistake  would  render  deadly  to  either  man 
or  horse — but  luck,  on  which  many  depend,  is  sometimes 
friendly  to  the  uninitiated.  However,  riding  up  to  a 
wall  to  see  if  there  is  a  ditch,  pile  of  stones,  cow,  flock  of 
sheep,  or  a  pile  of  fence  rails  on  the  other  side,  would 
spoil  the  best  hunter  in  the  world. 

TOPPING   THE   WALL. 

What  is  termed  ^'  topping  a  wall "  is  by  the  horse  strik- 
ing the  wall  with  his  hind  feet  to  send  him  with  renewed 
effort  or  spring  beyond  some  object  on  the  other  side  that 


rm-: 


.^ ■QsJ;"-'. 

Fii^.  11. — TOPPING  THE  WALL. 

he  did  not  see  till  half  over,  and  to  do  which  he  had  not 
used  power  enough  in  his  s[)ring  when  he  rose.  This  is 
considered  very  suj^erior  training.  It  is  the  work  of  the 
snaffle  bit,  and  could  not  be  done  with  any  other  bit  with 
any  degree  of  certainty.  The  very  pretty  performances 
of  horses  in  a  circus  are  done  under  the  influence  of  con- 
stant training  where  the  feats  are  to  take  place.  The 
same  man  has  the  horse  alone,  and  being  perfectly  docile 
and  tractable,  in  cool  blood  and  under  strict  obedience, 
and  when  there  is  no  danger  or  excitement,  the  object 


E]SrGLISH   VS.    IRISH   RIDI^-G.  39 

of  the  training  is  reduced  to  a  certainty.  If  we  contrast 
this  state  of  things  with  the  condition  of  a  horse  tearing 
across  a  rouo-h  country  for  miles — meeting  fences  and 
rivers  lie  never  saw  before,  one  field  plowed  and  all  mud, 
the  otlier  all  stones  and  the  fence  between — a  double 
ditch  or  deer-park  wall — the  horse  winded  by  the  heavy 
canter  in  the  mud  and  a  fence  to  leave  behind  him  or 
flounder  at  its  base,  he  will  perceive  that  it  is  nice  Irain- 
inor  to  unite  two  minds  and  two  bodies  at  the  same 
moment  to  accomplish  these  deeds  that  nature  has  left 
to  the  horse  alone  to  perform.  ^  o  other  animal  can  do 
it  and  carry  one-seventh  of  his  own  weight. 

In  trainino-  horses  for  the  saddle  for  hunting  and 
steeple  chasing  purposes,  it  is  necessary  to  do  so  in  the 
region  where  they  are  to  spend  their  future  career,  so 
that  they  shall  be  familiar  with  the  peculiarities  of  the 


Fig.  12.— THE  FOUNT)  WALL. 

fences  and  the  nature  of  the  country,  thus  insuring  their 
own  and  their  rider's  necks.  Owing  to  the  nature  of  the 
country  the  Gal  way  horse  is  a  famous  wall  jumper.  The 
favorite  place  for  the  sale  of  these  hunters  is  at  the  fair 
of  Ballinasloe.  There  is,  next  to  the  fair  green,  a  cattle 
pound,  the  paved  yard  of  wdiich  is  lower  by  some  eighteen 
inches  than  the  ground  outside.  If  a  man  wants  to  sell 
his  hunter,  he  is  asked  if  he  can  jump  the  pound  wall. 
If  he  can,  he  will  be  able  to  sell  his  horse,  all  other  points 
being  satisfactory.  If  he  jumps  in,  it  is  understood  that 
the  jumping  out  is  the  necessary  test  to  insure  the  sale. 
Hundreds  gather  around  to  see  the  performance.  Four 
feet  in,  five  feet  six  inches  out,  sells  the  horse.    The  jump 


40  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

is  off  a  cobblestone  yard.  If  the  horse  fails  and  his  rider 
is  obliged  to  come  out  by  the  gate,  he  pays  the  keeper 
regular  poundage,  and  gets  laughed  at  for  his  failure, 
besides  losing  the  sale.  Some  sales  are  made  condition- 
ally— so  much  if  he  jumps  in,  and  so  much  if  he  fails  to 
jump  out. 

The  recent  performances  of  the  horses  Leo  and  Lord-of- 
the-Isles  at  the  horse  shows  in  Madison  Square  Garden, 
'New  York,  established,  the  fact  of  the  great  mental  and. 
physical  poAvers  and  capacity  of  the  horse  in  everything 
to  which  he  is  properly  bred  and  trained.  We  have 
heard  of  and  seen  horses  take  wonderful  leaps  over  rivers, 
drains,  double  ditches,  and  deer-park  Avails  of  lime  and 
stone,  coped  on  top  and  some  having  broken  glass  bottles 
sunk  in  the  mortar  while  wet,  all  varying  in  width  and 
height  from  tAventy  to  thirty  feet,  and  from  five  to  eight 
feet ;  but  these  feats  Avere  done  in  oj^en  daylight  in  the 
field,  and  under  the  influence  of  the  greatest  excitement, 
Avhen  both  horse  and  rider  Avere  tearing  away  in  competi- 
tion with  others  in  mad  pursuit  of  some  fair  opportunity 
to  accomplish  a  deed  that  Avould  henceforth  mark  a 
period  in  the  extraordinary  feats  of  both  horse  and  horse- 
manship. But  to  keep  a  horse  like  Lord-of-the-Isles  tied 
up  for  days  in  a  four-foot  stall,  with  but  little  exercise 
and  that  under  cover,  and  then  to  bring  him  out  at  night, 
mount  and  ride  him  by  the  glare  of  electric  lights  at  a 
six-foot-six-inch  bar  fence  and  clear  it — he  weio:hino: 
1,100  pounds  and  his  rider  145  pounds — is  a  performance 
that  the  equine  Avorld  may  well  wonder  at,  and  Mr. 
Primrose,  his  owner,  be  proud  of.  The  horse  Avas  rid- 
den with  a  hea\'y  snaffle  bit,  and,  besides  the  weight  of 
the  rider,  he  carried  that  of  the  saddle,  thus  making  about 
160  pounds,  not  including  the  shoes — say  in  all  1,2G0 
pounds.  The  gallant  Leo  performed  the  same  feat,  in 
the  same  place  and  at  the  same  hour,  the  year  before. 


EI^GLISH  VS.    IRISH   RIDING.  41 

THE    USE    OF   THE   EARS. 

If  a  pair  of  horses,  fresli  from  the  straw  yard,  be 
liitched  to  a  street  car  and  driven  three  or  foui-  miles, 
stopping  and  starting  on  the  way  in  obedience  to  the 
reins  when  the  bell  rings,  before  they  enter  the  stable? 
again  they  will  have  learned  to  stop  and  start  of  their 
own  accord  to  the  bell  signal  as  well  as  if  they  were  at 
the  work  for  years.  The  voice  can  be  made  equally 
effective  in  many  respects  as  the  bit,  and  thus  save  the 
horse  many  of  its  unnecessary  tortures  and  annoyances, 
especially  so  with  the  saddle-horse,  whose  actions  are  so 
varied  and  often  sudden  as  to  require  the  use  of  the  reins, 
if  not  the  voice,  at  every  caprice  of  the  rider  ;  but  the 
horseman  has  this  secret  at  his  command,  and  it  tells  in 
his  jDcrformances. 

If  we  would  study  the  nature  and  anatomy  of  the  horse 
and  see  how  well  he  is  provided  with  every  necessary 
facultv  and  means  to  use  in  our  varied  service,  we  could 
make  our  associations  with  him  more  agreeable  to  both. 
His  ears  are  so  peculiarly  shaped  and  set  on  that  he  can 
throw  them  forward  at  will  to  hear  in  front,  and  back- 
ward to  hear  in  the  rear.  In  these  motions  the  ear  takes 
a  peculiar  turn,  so  that  the  inside  or  hollow  of  it  is 
turned  towards  the  sound.  One  ear  can  be  thrown  back 
to  hear  in  the  rear,  while  the  other  ear  is  thrown  for- 
ward as  he  sees  and  hears  in  front.  This  peculiarity  in 
the  actions  of  the  ears  was  not  created  without  a  purpose, 
and  trained  horsemen  and  experienced  drivers  dispense 
with  a  great  deal  of  the  bit  government  by  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  ready  use  of  this  organ,  to  which  the  horse  is 
ever  alive,  so  that  the  ease  and  grace  of  the  thorough 
horseman  is  concealed  in  the  apparent  mystery  in  his 
skillful  manasfement  under  all  circumstances. 

If  a  bird's  feathers  are  wet  it  cannot  easily  fly  ;  for 
the  same  reason,  if   the  horse's   ear  be  wet  he  cannot 


42 


THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 


bear  so  well,  so  he  throws  it  back  to  keep  the  rain  from, 
getting  into  it.  The  normal  position  of  the  horse's  ear 
when  he  is  inactive  is  thrown  backwards,  bnt  when  he  is  at 
work  it  varies  with  circumstances.  When  active,  or  ex- 
l^ecting  orders,  it  is  vertical ;  when  he  is  cross  it  is  also 
thrown  back,  and  when  listening,  or  looking  to  the  front, 
it  is  thrown  forward.  (See  fig.  13,  cuts  1 ,  2,  3,  4. )  When 
the  saddle-horse  is  in  action  he  listens  attentively  to  the 


Fio:.  13.— POSITIONS  OF  ears. 

least  sound  of  his  rider's  voice,  which  he  expects  to  hear, 
and  therefore  by  giving  him  the  habit  of  listening  to  and 
obeying  the  voice,  the  use  of  the  bit  is  reduced  to  a 
minimum. 

USING   THE   HORSE   AS   A   WATCH. 

The  horse  in  his  natural  state,  when  roaming  in  wild 
bands  over  vast  plains  and  through  the  foot  hills  of  great 
mountain  ranges,  makes  a  different  use  of  his  ears  to 
what  he  does  when  domesticated — confined  and  worked — 
v/here  all  his  wild  feelings  and  natural  propensities  are 
reduced  to  the  requirements  of  an  artificial  and  hum- 
drum life,  to  keep  pace  with  the  tame  surroundings  of  a 
stable  yard,  and  the  unnatural  confinement  in  even  the 
most  gorgeous  stable  and  stall,  loose  box  or  sheltered 
paddock.  To  him  the  very  best  and  unlimited  domestic 
home  is  a  prison  compared  with  the  smallest  privileges 
he  enjoys  in  his  native  sphere.  A  wild  band  of  these 
untutored  lords  of  the  plain  roamed  in  defiance  of  cap- 
ture during  many  years  on  the  vast  plains  in  the  region 
of  country  bordering  on  the  Yuba  and  Feather  Eivers  in 
one  direction,  and  the  foot  hills  skirting  the  coast  range 


ENGLISH   VS.    IRISH   RIDIXG.  43 

of  the  Sierra  Nevcada,  in  California,  in  the  other.  The 
leader  of  the  band  was  a  jet-black  horse,  tall  and  grace- 
fal,  with  a  coat  that  shone  in  the  sun  like  a  silk  hat.  His 
formation  was  of  the  Flying  Gbilders  mould  and  his  style 
equally  suggestive  of  what  he  would  do  under  the  saddle. 
The  band  was  familiar  with  every  path,  gulch  and  Indian 
trail  in  all  that  region,  which  was  traversed  by  horsemen 
and  pack  trains  passing  to  and  from  the  mountains,  and, 
althouo-h  stranoers  to  the  giiasi-c\Y\\\z^t[ou  that  followed 
the  discovery  of  gold,  they  soon  fell  in  with  the  new 
state  of  things  and  took  advantage  of  unwary  travelers 
who  used  no  precautions  to  picket  their  animals  and  set 
a  watch. 

The  habit  of  these  horses  was  to  stealthily  approach  an 
emigrant  camp  where  saddle  and  pack  animals  were  turned 
out  loose  to  graze  for  the  night,  and  getting  mixed  up  with 
the  wild  band,  each  horse  selectiug  his  favorite  for  the 
night's  play  would,  at  the  sight  of  a  man  on  horseback, 
at  the  dawn  of  the  early  morning,  swinging  a  lasso,  stam- 
pede and  take  with  them,  in  their  wild  flight  for  the  far- 
away, all  the  fast  horses  and  mules  that  fancied  the 
chansre  from  slaverv  to  freedom,  and  thus  became  willing 
converts  to  freedom's  cause.  These  horses  had  been  so 
long  frequenters  of  those  parts  and  so  frequently  chased, 
that  they  became  so  w^atchful  and  wary  that  a  man  on 
horseback  swinging  a  lasso  was  a  terror  to  them,  and  they 
consequently  became  trained  to  sudden  flight  and  great 
speed.  There  was  evidently  a  strain  of  fine  blood  in 
them  that  came  from  a  superior  black  sire  with  white 
hind  feet  (an  evidence  of  blood,  especially  in  the  chestnut 
horse),  that  it  was  said  broke  away  from  a  train  at  the 
time  of  the  emigration  to  Oregon,  anterior  to  the  discov- 
ery of  gold  in  California. 

Captain  Binnix,  of  Feather  River  Road  ranch,  lost 
by  the  wild  horses  a  fine  Kentucky  mule,  worth  1300, 
and  vowed  vengeance  on  the  baud,  offering  half  the  value 


44  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

of  his  mule  to  any  man  who  would  recapture  her.  As 
there  was  pleasure  and  i:)robable  prout  ia  the  enterprise, 
we  arranged  with  the  captain  to  ride  o£c  next  day  in  search 
of  the  band  to  see  what  could  be  done.  The  history  of 
the  horses  and  the  numerous  attemiDts  made  by  different 
companies  to  capture  them  was  related  by  Binnix  as  we 
rode  over  the  plains^  where  a  large  herd  of  antelope 
seemed  surprised  at  our  intrusion. 

Towards  evening  we  came  in  sight  of  the  horses,  which 
were  some  four  miles  off  and  moving  on  a  path  at  right 
angles  with  our  course.  We  both  dismounted,  and  with 
our  horses  and  a  Newfoundland  dog  took  a  direction 
several  points  to  their  front,  so  as  to  meet  them  rather 
than  follow  in  their  track,  for  the  wind  at  the  time  would 
be  favorable  to  our  detection.  Makins^  no  usual  show  of 
a  desire  to  chase  them  we  got  within  a  mile  of  their 
course,  when  we  left  our  horses  in  charge  of  the  dog  and 
approached  within  500  yards  of  them,  alone.  All  at  once 
the  band  faced  to  the  front,  and  turning  short  around 
dashed  off,  enveloped  in  clouds  of  dust.  On  returning 
to  Binnix,  the  first  thing  he  said  was,  "Well,  what  do 
you  think  of  it  ?"  We  mounted  and  as  we  rode  towards 
home  we  came  to  a  wet,  gravelly  place  where  the  water 
from  a  gorge  in  the  foot  hills  ran  down  into  the  plain 
and  meeting  a  concealed  bar  of  brick  clay  rose  to  the 
surface,  passed  over  the  bar,  sank,  and  was  seen  no  more. 
The  Honcut  creek  meanders  through  this  part  of  the 
plains  and  discharges  into  the  Feather  River  near  tbe  But- 
tes ;  but  although  there  was  not  water  enough  at  the  bar 
to  afford  a  satisfactory  drink,  all  the  animals  of  the  plain 
called  there  and  pawed  holes  in  the  wet  gravel  and  passed 
on  down  to  the  Honcut  to  quench  their  thirst.  .We  dug 
a  hole  in  the  gravel  and  when  it  was  full  watered  our 
horses.  We  said  to  Binnix  :  ^*If  you  will  come  here  this 
day  two  weeks  we  will  give  you  your  mule."  He  smiled, 
but  a^T^reed  to  come.    He  went  home  and  we  to  Marvsville. 


ENGLISH  YS.    IRISH   EIDIKG.  45 

In  contemplating  the  eaptnro  of  the  band  there  were 
two  courses  to  pursue.  One  was  strategy  in  utilizing  the 
horse's  nature  to  our  purpose,  and  the  other  dexterity 
with  the  lasso.  We  chose  the  former,  for  the  latter — ■ 
besides  being  tedious  in  capturing  at  best  only  one  at  a 
time — had  been  tried  over  and  over  again,  and  always 
proved  a  failure,  for  the  reason  that  the  pursuing  horse 
carried  ballast  while  the  wild  horse  went  ^Hight  mount- 
ed," and  thus  their  pursuer  was  always  distanced.  Tak- 
ing these  circumstances  into  consideration,  we  resolved 
to  resort  to  strategy,  and  named  that  day  two  weeks  for 
the  accomplishment  of  the  enterprise.  The  following 
Tuesday,  arriving  on  the  ground  with  all  materials  nec- 
essarv,  we  set  to  work  in  hard  earnest  with  crowbars, 
sledges,  axes  and  coils  of  rope.  Our  only  companions 
consisted  of  a  friend  of  the  genus  liomo,  a  well-trained 
lassoing  horse  and  a  Newfoundland  dog,  than  which 
none  more  faithful  could  be  found.  We  had  not  seen 
the  band  again  till  the  day  named  for  the  capture,  but 
we  knew  the  direction  in  which  it  was  every  night. 
Night  was  the  time  to  kec})  informed  of  its  location  and 
movements.  The  hearino*  of  the  horse,  no  matter  where 
he  may  be,  is  very  acute,  especially  so  w^hen  isolated  from 
civilization  and  thrown  more  upon  his  own  resources  to 
watch  and  listen  for  himself.  Gruided  by  this  rule  we 
combined  our  reason  with  the  horse's  instincts,  and  pick- 
eting him  some  fifty  yards  off  from  our  bivouac  under  a 
bush,  where  no  sound  confused  his  hearing  and  by  the 
li2;ht  of  the  moon  we  could  watch  his  motions,  the  work 
of  the  capture  commenced. 

We  sunk  live  oak  posts  eight  feet  apart  in  a  circle 
enclosing  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  ground,  and  tied  them 
firmly  together  with  four  tiers  of  rope,  making  each  rope 
fast  around  each  post,  so  that  they  should  not  give  way 
all  round  in  case  of  a  break  at  one  point  in  receiving  the 
charge  of  the  horses  when  they  found  themselves  shut 


46  THE    BRIDLE    BITS. 

in.  The  gate  had  a  trap  latcli  and  to  it  was  fastened  a 
trap  cord  one  hundred  yards  long  and  reaching  to  the 
bivouac,  and  being  sunk  in  the  ground  coukl  not  be  dis- 
covered, but  could  be  drawn  by  the  dog. 

All  the  Saturday  night  and  early  morning  before  the 
day  named  for  the  capture,  our  watch  horse  gave  the 
usual  and  unmistakable  signs  of  the  j^roximity  of  the  wild 
horses.  These  signs  are  peculiar  to  the  tame  horse  when 
picketed  out  in  a  strange  place.  He  listens,  looks  and 
watches  in  the  direction  of  the  existence  or  approach  of 
other  horses.  On  such  occasions  he  is  a  better  w^atch 
than  the  dog ;  for,  while  the  dog  is  a  sure  and  better 
watch  and  guard  to  give  notice  of  local  intrusion  or  dan- 
ger, the  horse  hears  sounds  and  sees  objects  miles  away. 
*'  He  smelleth  the  battle  afar  off." 

He  listens,  looks  in  the  direction  of  the  sounds,  and 
while  he  cannot  smell  or  see,  owing  to  contrary  winds 
and  distances,  he  can  hear  and  feel  the  tread  of  horses  in 
the  ground  beneath  his  feet.  His  ears  point  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  sounds,  and  on  the  approach  of  wild  horses 
he  becomes  unusually  restive  and  demonstrative,  walking 
and  turning  round  the  more  as  the  band  approaches.  By 
these  and  other  unmistakable  signs  we  knew  that  the 
band  was  not  many  miles  away,  and  that  the  time  had 
come  to  use  such  means  as  were  necessary  to  draw  the 
horses  towards  the  place  designed  and  prepared  for  their 
capture.  Our  assistant  in  the  enterprise  was  rather 
sceptical  respecting  the  success  of  our  two  weeks'  hard 
work  and  pains,  and  we  were  repeatedly  reminded  that 
^^Binnix  will  be  here  on  Sunday  for  his  mule." 

It  is  well  known  to  frontiersmen  that  wolves  can  be 
attracted  by  putting  asafoetida  in  a  rag  and  tying  it  to 
the  bit  of  the  bn'dle  so  that  the  heat  and  saliva  from  tiie 
horse's  mouth  will  keep  it  moist  and  thus  cause  it  to 
emit  an  odor  that  attracts  wolves  from  a  great  distance. 
There   is   another    odor   equally   effective   with   horses. 


ENGLISH   VS.    IRISH   HIDING.  47 

Being  out  of  rations  wo  sent  our  doubting  Thomas  on 
horseback  at  daylight  on  Sunday  morning  up  the  moun- 
tains for  a  sup2)ly,  and  on  his  return  at  four  o'clock 
p.  M.,  he  found  us  lying  on  the  grass,  Binnix  by  our  side, 
and  the  entire  band  of  wild  horses  lassoed  and  haltered 
inside  of  the  corrall,  each  horse  tied  to  a  post,  while  we 
had  the  famous  mule  tied  by  herself  to  a  stake  some 
twenty  yards  from  the  corral  by  way  of  a  triumph  and  a 
satisfaction  in  the  face  of  all  we  had  heard  of  the  history 
of  the  band  and  the  ultimate  failure  of  our  enterprise. 

There  was  an  understanding  among  the  peoj^le  in  the 
country  that  half  the  value  of  the  mules  and  tame  horses 
captured  by  the  band  would  be  paid  to  any  person  who 
would  deliver  them  up  to  their  owners.  With  one  ex- 
ception this  pledge  was  cheerfully  respected,  and  we  sold 
the  wild  horses  at  prices  ranging  from  twenty  to  two 
hundred  dollars.  And  we  need  not  say  that  the  gallant 
black  became  our  favorite  saddle-horse. 

HABITS. 

Habits,  good  or  bad,  are  very  readily  acquired  by 
horses.  A  few  repetitions  of  the  same  thing  will  teach 
them  to  do  anything  in  their  way  of  their  own  accord. 
In  this  respect  they  are  like  ourselves. 

"  How  use  doth  breed  a  habit  in  a  man." 

If  this  were  more  general,  the  life  of  the  horse  would 
be  stripped  of  half  the  terrors  that  are  occasioned  by  the 
unnecessary  use  of  the  bit  in  unskillful  hands. 

In  England,  a  team  of  draft-horses,  six  or  eight  all  in 
a  string,  in  both  wagon  and  plow,  are  driven  without 
reins,  as  oxen  are  with  us,  and  it  would  be  a  reflection 
upon  the  instincts,  tractability  and  intelligence  of  the 
saddle-horse  if  he  were  suspected  of  being  less  suscepti- 
ble of  obedience  to  the  voice  in  his  capacity  than  the 
more  sluggish  tenants  of  the  back  stables  are  in  theirs. 


48  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

INTELLIGENCE    OF   THE   MULE. 

When  tlie  mule  in  the  ash-cart  hears  the  empty  "barrel 
put  on  the  sidewalk,  he  moves  on  of  his  own  accord  to 
the  next  barrel,  and  stops  again  of  himself  where  he 
knows  he  is  to  stop  ;  and  although  anybody  may  see  that 
his  father  was  a  jackass,  unusual  stupidity  cannot  be 
attributed  to  him  on  that  account,  for  albeit  slow  and 
apparently  stupid,  if  taken  in  hand  when  young  he  can 
be  trained  with  greater  facility  than  he  gets  credit  for. 
It  is  the  change  of  masters  that  spoils  those  animals  that 
don't  seem  to  know  the  difference  between  one  owner  and 
another ;  but  they  do,  and  wx  should  blend  our  senses 
w^ith  their  instincts.  '^The  ox  knoweth  his  owner  and 
the  ass  his  master's  crib."  We  should,  therefore,  take 
advantage  of  the  natural  faculties  of  those  animals  that 
serve  us  under  physical  restraint,  and  thus  dispens3  with 
half  the  severity  of  the  instruments  we  use  to  guide  and 
govern  them. 

The  ox  and  the  dog  are  made  perfectly  subordinate  to 
our  will  by  voice  alone.  Recent  exhibitions  of  trained 
h(^'ses  prove  that  the  horse  is  capable  of  moral  influence, 
and  that  his  understanding  and  tractability  are  of  a 
superior  order. 

**  Reasoning  at  every  step  he  treads, 
Man  yet  mistakes  his  way, 
"VViiilo  meaner  beasts,  whom  instinct  leads, 
Are  rarely  known  to  stray." 

The  cat,  the  most  intractable  and  disobedient  of  our 
domestic  animals,  can  be  trained  so  perfectly  that  it  will 
fetch  and  carry  as  well  as  a  dog  will,  and  can  be  taken 
from  its  homo  and  made  to  perform  before  strangers  in  a 
strange  house.  This  training  of  a  cat  is  very  unusual, 
but  with  judgment,  skill  and  early  training  our  experi- 
ence has  proved  it  can  be  done.  Is  it  any  wonder,  there- 
fore, that  we  plead  for  the  horse,  and  suggest  a  more 


Els^GLISII   VS.    IRISH    RIDING.  49 

general  use  of  liis  ears  in  order  to  relieve  his  mouth  from 
the  unnecessary  severity  of  the  bit  ?  Bad  mouthing  from 
the  start  has  been  the  cause  of  the  great  variety  of  severe 
bits,  some  of  which  are  represented  among  the  illustra- 
tions, and  are  curiosities  more  for  their  unnecessary  use 
and  senseless  variety  than  for  the  peculiarity  of  their 
complications. 

We  cannot  conceal  our  surprise  at  the  facility  with 
which  some  men  can  make  up  their  minds  to  part  with 
horses  already  trained  to  their  hands  and  voices,  and  buy 
strange  ones  that  it  may  take  years  to  train  and  know 
and  be  known  as  w^ell.  The  hunter  that  is  trained  to  his 
rider's  hand,  voice  and  ways,  is  valuable  only  to  him  in 
these  particulars  ;  to  a  strange  rider  he  is  dangerous  until 
both  understand  each  other.  "We  see  teams  of  coach 
horses  purchased  in  the  spring  and  sold  in  the  fall,  to  be 
replaced  by  other  stock  the  following  year.  The  pleasure 
in  driving,  like  that  of  riding,  is  in  knowing  one's  horses 
— knowing  what  they  can  and  will  do  under  all  circum- 
stances. But  if  the  pleasure  of  *^ coaching"  consists  in 
driving  one  coach  after  another  in  a  procession  at  a  gait 
regulated  by  law,  if  it  was  not  for  the  name  of  the  thi|ig 
a  man  might  as  well  drive  a  postillion  for  all  the  art  there 
is  displayed  or  necessary  in  driving  in  procession.  Yet 
when  anything  is  made  fashionable  by  custom,  the  slave 
follows.  But  when  the  neck  is  in  danger,  and  the  nian  and 
his  horse  must  be  of  one  mind  for  either  success  or  pleas- 
ure, we  w^ould  recommend  the  retention  of  the  trained 
horse  that  suits  the  rider,  who  in  turn  must  suit  the 
horse. 

SIGJs^S   OF   GOOD   AND   BAD   HORSES   FOR   THE   SADDLE. 

If  we  see  a  number  of  horses  being  led  along  a  road, 
one  horse  hangs  back  and  allows  himself  to  be  dragged 
along  by  the  halter,  while  another  trots  up  freely,  ahead 


50 


THE   BEIDLE  BITS. 


of  the  horse  his  leader  rides.  The  difference  in  the  two 
dispositions,  so  opposite  in  their  nature,  is  by  no  means 
an  indication  of  their  respectiyc  abilities  ;  for  some  of 


Fig.  14.— LEADING  THE  RIDING  HORSE. 

our  fastest  horses  are  naturally  lazy  and  don't  lead  or  go 
freely,  requiring  the  whip  or  spur  to  keep  them  up  to 
their  work,  while  the  free  and  high  mettled  are  nowhere 
in  the  race  ;  yet  we  prefer  the  latter  for  pleasure  and  the 
former  for  profit.     The  horse  that  leads  well,  and  runs 


Fig.  15.— LEADING  THE  SADDLE  HORSE. 

well  up  to  the  bit,  has  the  first  element  of  a  good  and 
pleasant  saddle-horse,  and  is  a  good  subject  for  the  snaffle 
bit  (fig.  7),  which  the  beginner  should  learn  to  handle 
well  before  he  uses  the 

PELHAM    BIT. 

The  Pelham  riding  bit  has  a  joint  between  the  bars, 
like  the  snaffle,  and  is  used  with  double  reins.  The  joint, 
however,  is  more  of  a  hinge  than  a  loop  joint,  like  that 


ENGLISH  VS.    IRISH   RIDING. 


51 


on  the  snaffle.  One  rein  that  is  always  in  Land  works 
the  snaffle  and  the  martingale,  while  the  other  rein, 
which  is  narrow,  works  the  curb  bit  and  curb  when  nec- 
essary. With  the  young  racer  the  curb  rein  must  be 
fingered  very  tenderly,  and  be  taken  up  to  gather  the 
horse's  head  or  check  him  in  his  speed  should  he  try  to 
bolt,  run  away  or  exceed  his  time.  If  this  bit  has  been 
well  tested,  and  suits  the  horse,  it  is  a  nice  one  for  a 
woman  to  use  if  she  knows  her  horse. 

The  Pelham  is  a  favorite  with  jockies  and  is  essentially 
ft  racing  bit,  for  the  above  reasons  ;  besides,  its  being 
single,  there  is  less  annoying  iron  in  the  horse's  mouth 


Fig.  16. — PELHAM  BIT. 


to  irritate  him,  or  interfere  with  his  wind  on  the  home- 
stretch, than  with  the  bit-and-bridoon.  To  the  unneces- 
sary or  bad  handling  of  the  curb  rein  may  be  attributed 
many  defeats  on  the  turf.  The  young  horse,  in  particu- 
lar, is  annoyed  and  fretted  by  its  injudicious  use  by 
novices  in  the  art  of  riding  races  or  handling  young, 
fretful  horses.  The  unsteadiness  of  the  horse,  and  con- 
sequently numerous  false  starts  on  race  courses,  may 
often  be  attributed  to  the  use  of  both  bits  at  the  same 
time — the  unmistakable  evidence  of  bad  horsemanship. 
Owners  of  race  horses  should  see  to  this. 


52  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

The  Pelham  bit  enables  a  jockey  to  slow  his  horse  up, 
so  as  not  to  beat  his  competitor  more  than  necessary,  or 
to  right  him  should  he  bolt.  Young,  high-strung  horses, 
two  or  three  years  old,  have  not  had  time  and  experience 
for  sufficient  mouthing  and  training  to  be  steady  enough 
to  take  the  curb,  spurs,  whip  and  a  strange  rider,  all  at 
once,  to  insure  a  fair  and  certain  start  on  a  course  where 
all  is  excitement  around  them.  When  the  horse  becomes 
restive  at  the  starting  post,  it  may  be  discovered  that  the 
curb  or  both  reins  are  being  used  at  the  same  time,  and 
the  horse,  fretted  and  annoyed  beyond  endurance,  is 
timid  and  afraid  to  start  and  run  against  the  curb,  the 
moral  effect  of  which  he  has  not  had  time  to  learn,  while 
the  physical  effect  of  it  maddens  him.  If  we  add  to  this 
the  use  of  the  whip  and  spurs  at  the  start,  while  he  is 
being  held  back,  it  will  not  be  surprising  if,  when  he 
does  start,  he  should  bolt  before  he  reaches  the  quarter 
pole  and  run  wild  to  his  death  against  a  fence. 

There  is  no  knowing  what  a  colt  or  any  horse  may  do 
with  a  strange  rider,  with  a  strange  smell  he  may  detest, 
strange  voice  he  don't  know  or  understand,  strange  knees, 
strange  hand  and  a  strange  motion-on  his  back,  and  per- 
haps a  strange  bit  in  his  mouth.  Indeed,  we  are  disposed 
to  offer  any  excuse  for  his  actions,  misbehavior  or  defeat, 
for  his  cool  intellisrence  is  confused  and  the  ''  vim"  and 
pluck  that  would  serve  him  on  the  home-stretch  are  taken 
out  of  him  before  he  starts.  If  a  man  from  anger  and 
excitement  weakens  and  gets  out  of  breath  while  sitting 
in  his  chair,  how  much  is  it  possible  that  the  fretting 
and  annoyances  attending  several  false  starts  may  affect 
a  young  horse  when  he  is  getting  winded  on  the  home- 
stretch— a  time  when  an  extra  respiration  that  he  had 
wasted  in  anger  and  excitement,  and  one  second  he  had 
lost  before  he  started,  would  take  him  ten  inches  beyond 
the  head  and  girth,  a  victor  at  the  winning  post  ? 

A  boy  but  a  few  years  older  than  the  horse  he  rides  has 


THE   BIT-AJ^D-BRTDOO]Sr   FOR   SADDLE   HORSES. 


53 


nicany  things  to  learn  besides  sitting  in  the  saddle.  In- 
structions in  and  study  of  the  nature  and  various  powers 
of  the  Pelham  bit  and  its  effects  on  the  different  tempers 
and  dispositions  of  horses  should  be  incumbent  on  the 
professional  jockey,  on  whose  skill  the  reputations  of 
horses,  their  victories  and  large  amounts  are  staked.  The 
Pelham,  therefore,  has  all  the  advantages  and  disadvan- 
tages for  victory  or  defeat.  It  is  a  compromise  between 
the  snaffle  and  the  bit-and-bridoon,  the  subject  of  our 
next  chapter. 


CHAPTEE    III. 

THE  BIT-AND-BRIDOON  FOR  SADDLE  HORSES. 

We  have  no  apology  to  offer  for  the  man  who  prefers 
the  old  fashioned  bit-and-bridoon  or  double  bridle — he 
needs  none.    For  ordinary  use  in  the  park  or  on  the  road 


Fig.  17.— BIT-AND-BKIDOON. 

it  is  the  embodiment  of  perfection  ;  and  although  a  sub- 
stitute may  be  used  to  cater  to  the  mania  for  new  and 
changing  fashions,  it  never  can,  by  any  device  or  altera- 
tion, be  improved  upon  or  surpassed.  It  seems  to  us  that 
in  putting  it  on  a  young  horse  for  the  first  time,  he  is 


54  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

used  to  it  because  his  predecessors  and  ancestors  had  been 
adorned  and  ridden  with  it  so  long  before.  Its  safety 
recommends  it  above  all  others  for  the  side-saddle,  but 
of  course  only  so  to  the  hand  that  can  hold  and  finger 
the  reins  properly. 

This  bridle  has  two  distinct  bits — the  curb  bit  and  the 
bridoon  bit.  If  one  bit  or  rein  should  break  there  is  one 
of  each  left.  Each  bit  has  a  separate  headstall,  and  to 
each  bit  there  is  a  separate  rein.  A  martingale  is  used 
with  this  bridle,  and  so  looped  on  the  overlapping  girth 
that  both  girths  shall  fit  tight  to  the  horse.  The  rear 
girth  should  be  buckled  first  and  then  the  fore  girth  run 
through  the  martingale  and  buckled  as  tight  as  it  can  be 
drawn.  When  Willfully  handled,  this  bridle,  without 
being  severe,  is  the  nicest  one  we  have  for  pleasure  riding, 
and  while  the  curb  bit  is  not  strong  enough  to  hold  in  a 
hard-mouthed  horse  it  is  quite  powerful  enough  for  a 
horse  well  broken  to  its  use.  If  a  woman  has  her  own 
well-selected  saddle-horse  trained  to  the  bit-and-bridoon, 
and  no  other,  she  can  always  enjoy  her  ride.  We  do  not 
recommend  it  for  strength  or  securit}^,  but  we  do  for  the 
various  degrees  of  physical  and  moral  jDOwer  it  can  bring 
to  bear  on  the  horse — from  that  of  a  silken  thread  to  the 
full  strength  of  the  bits  and  reins,  the  latter  being  strong 
in  proportion  to  the  strain  that  the  bit  will  bear  and  the 
horse  requires.  Reversing  the  order  of  things,  the 
mouth  has  to  be  made  to  suit  this  bridle,  for  tlie  bit-and- 
bridoon  bridles  are  generally  of  the  same  material  and 
strength,  but  varying  in  size,  and  the  ordinary  saddle- 
horse,  for  either  sex,  must  have  his  mouth  made  to  suit 
it,  so  that  the  hand  that  is  used  to  the  bridle  won't  have 
to  change  it. 

Some  hunters  are  so  used  to  a  tight  snaffle  rein  in  tak- 
ing fences  that,  in  turning  them  round  on  a  road  with 
the  tight  bridoon  rein,  they  are  apt  to  dash  over  the  fence 
before  the  rider  can  stop  them.     With  the  side-saddle 


THE   BIT-AND-BKIDOOi^   FOR   SADDLE   HORSES.         55 

this  is  rather  dangerous  ;  but  to  avoid  it  the  liorse  should 
be  ridden  on  the  curb  and  care  taken  not  to  use  the  knees 
or  make  any  of  tlie  usual  motions  of  the  body  known  to 
the  horse  in  earnest  riding,  while  tlie  tarn  on  the  road  is 
being  made.  We  always  ride  w^ith  a  tight  rein,  and  pre- 
ferring a  strong  puller  on  the  snaffle,  we  have  had  some 
experience  in  these  impromptu  exercises  of  horses'  pro- 
pensities to  take  fancy  leaps  without  leave  or  license. 


rj^ 


The  bridoon  rein  on  which  the  martingale  hangs  is  less 
than  one  inch  wide,  bat  its  strength  corresponds  with 
the  power  used  with  it  in  holding  the  horse  up  while 
riding  in  ordinary,  lifting  him  at  the  leap  or  in  bearing 
the  strain  of  the  martingale,  if  necessarily  short.  No  arm 
can  break  it. 

The  curb  rein  is  narrow,  not  only  because  the  strain 
on  it  is  slight  and  corresponds  witli  the  strength  of  the 
bit  and  the  possible  strain  it  is  subject  to,  but  because 
both  carb  and  bridoon  reins  are  held  in  one  hand  and 
their  alternate  use  frequent.  If  the  horse  and  rider  be 
mutually  agreeable  and  they  like  each  other,  and  in  pass- 
ing through  a  strange  country,  unknown  to  both,  they 
come  to  two  roads  branching  off  to  the  right  and  left,  the 
horse  knows  as  well  as  the  rider  does  w^hich  road  his  rider 
intends  taking.  Instinct  is  at  play,  and  the  knowledge 
is  communicated  from  the  hand  through  the  reins  to  the 
bit,  thence  to  the  brain.  If  the  rider  don't  know  which 
road  to  take,  he  had  better  give  the  horse  his  head  and  let 
him  take  his  choice.  If  the  object  is  to  go  home  he  won't 
go  astray.  Phrenology  is  not  limited  to  the  functions  of 
the  haman  brain  ;  it  takes  a  wider  sphere,  and  descends 
to  the  lower  animals.  Amon^'  our  domestic  animals  it  is 
applicable  and  unmistakable  in  the  dog  and  horse.  Pecu- 
liar formations  of  the  skulls  of  these  two  friends  of  man 
vary,  and  the  intellectaal  of  both  can  be  picked  out  by 
feeling  them  in  the  dark.  And,  although  we  can  see  a 
faithful  and  intelligent  dog's  soul  in  his  eye  as  he  looks 


56  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

straight  into  ours  with  a  love  and  devotion  so  evident  in 
no  other  beast,  the  intelligence  and  devotion  of  the  horse 
are  manifested  in  other  ways  without  being  so  demon- 
strative.    '  ! 

Would  it  not  be  well,  therefore,  to  consider  the  unrea- 
sonableness, amounting  to  cruelty,  of  handling  or  holdingj 
and  guiding  these  two  servants  entirely  by  physical  force? 
To  tie  ujD  a  Newfoundland  dog  (the  close  friend,  protector 
and  companion  of  man,  woman  and  child),  and  keep  him 
in  solitary  confinement — while  all  he  loves  dearly  as  his 
life  are  at  play  around  the  stoops  and  halls  of  the  family 
home,  and  perhaps  all  walk  out  and  leave  him  chained 
to  whine,  pine  and  cry  for  his  liberty  to  join  in  the  even- 
ing stroll — is  a  kind  of  cruelty  far  in  excess  of  flogging 
and  starvation.  How  many  affectionate  animals  have 
died  of  broken  hearts,  and  how  near  does  this  kind  of 
cruelty  go  to  the  breaking  of  the  spirit,  if  not  the  heart,  of 
favorite  animals  around  us  that,  fearing  inconsiderate 
abuse,  suppress  their  torturing  grief  as  they  fawn  at  our 
feet  and  coaxingly,  and  in  their  own  way,  ask  permission 
to  lick  the  chastenins:  hand. 

The  horse,  like  the  dog,  enjoys  his  freedom,  and  if  he 
does  not  wliine  and  cry,  he  neighs,  and  tries  in  other 
ways  to  make  known  his  wants.  While  he  is  subser\ient 
in  every  respect  to  his  owner's  will,  and  would  enjoy  a 
gallop  on  his  own  account  in  a  grass  field,  he  is  closely 
confined  in  a  narrow  stall  from  year  to  year,  tied  up  to  a 
manger  witli  a  short  rope  or  chain  as  if  he  were  a  Beno-al 
tiger  ;  and  when  he  is  put  to  his  daily  toil  his  education 
is  so  neglected  that  he  knows  no  moral  restraint.  He  is 
pulled,  hauled  and  chucked  with  his  mouth  full  of  iron, 
that  being  the  only  means  adopted  and  used  for  his  ouid- 
ance,  with  no  more  consideration  by  some  men  than  if  he 
were  a  saw  log.  The  saddle-horse,  however,  is  more 
exempt  than  the  harness  horse  from  the  usual  tortures 
and  abuse,  and  needs  the  consideration  due  his  nature 


THE   BIT-AND-BKIDOON   FOR   SADDLE   HORSES. 


57 


and  his  duties,  of  a  kind  and  sympathetic  master,  who 
would  enjoy  his  rides  more  if  there  was  more  social  in- 
tercourse between  them  and  more  use  made  of  the  voice 
and  less  of  the  bit. 

THE   CURB. 

The  curb  should  be  outside  of  the  bridoon  bit,  for  if 
inside  of  it  the  constant  pressure  of  the  bit  on  the  curb 
would  hurt  and  chafe  the  under  jaw-bone.  Yet  we  often 
see  it  hooked  on  mside,  more  from  ignorance,  j^erhaps, 
than  from  any  judgment  or  fixed  ideas  on  the  subject, 
which  is  the  excuse  we  offer  for  noticing  it. 

THE   MARTIi^^GALE. 

When  the  bridoon  rein  is  drawn  straight  to  about  one 
inch  above  the  pummel  of  the  saddle,  the  rings  of  the 
martingale  should  just  hang  easy  on  them  when  the 
horse  holds  his  head  in  its  normal  position  (tig.  18).     If  he 


.^."'Vsi/^jgr^A,i 


Fig.  18.— ON  THE  BRrDOON. 


Fig.  19.— ON  THE  CURB. 


attempts  to  throw  his  head  up  the  martingale  will,  at  this 
length,  check  him.  In  leaping,  the  martingale  must  be 
lengthened  and  wholly  powerless,  else  the  horse  may 
be  thrown  over  the  fence.  As  trips,  falls  and  other  ac- 
cidents are  always  possible,  the  bridoon  rein  should  be 
always  in  hand,  held  firmly,  yet  not  drawn  tight,  and 
the  horse  should  always  feel  its  pressure  lightly,  while 
the  curb  bit  is  kept  in  reserve  for  occasional  use ;  but  on 
no  account,  occasion  or  consideration  should  the  curb 


58  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

and  bridoon  bits  be  used  at  the  same  time,  for  that  is 
contrary  to  common  sense  and  the  first  principles  of  the 
arts  and  science  of  horsemanship.  Yet,  this  error  is  a 
common  practice. 

Wlien  the  bridoon  rein  is  ti2:ht  the  curb  rein  should 
be  about  three  inches  longer,  so  that,  should  the  bridoon 
be  suddenly  drawn  tighter,  the  curb  rein  will  be  free ;  and 
when  the  curb  is  needed,  with  the  thumb  and  fore-finger 
of  the  whip  hand  draw  the  curb  rein  through  the  fingers 
of  the  left  hand  till  it  is  about  two  inches  shorter  than 
the  bridoon  rein  (fig.  19).  The  horse  is  now  on  the  curb, 
his  head  is  gathered,  and  he  is  light  in  hand  and  ready 
for  instant  obedience  and  action. 

To  drop  the  curb  rein  and  resume  the  bridoon,  the 
bridoon  rein  is  drawn  through  the  fingers  of  the  left 
hand  by  the  two  fore-fingers  and  thumb  of  the  whip 
hand  ;  the  curb  rein  is  then  allowed  to  slip  through  the 
fingers  till  it  is  slack  and  the  jiressure  is  felt  on  the 
bridoon  rein  asfain.  The  horse  now^  knows  he  is  to  re- 
sume  his  walk  or  trot,  and  takes  his  head.  In  cantering, 
the  curb  rein  is  taken  up  to  gather  the  horse's  head  and 
to  make  him  go  lighter  in  hand.  We  cannot  too  urgently 
impress  the  reader  with  the  fact  that  the  great  pleasure 
derived  from  riding  is,  in  having  a  well-mouthed  horse, 
a  perfect  knowledge  and  command  of  the  bridle  and  bits, 
and  the  same  bits  and  bridle,  without  a  change,  used  at 
all  times,  with  the  same  horse. 

Althousfh  we  like  the  Pelham  bit  and  bridle  for  the 
side  saddle,  yet  for  the  safety  of  the  horsewoman  we 
would  prefer  the  bit-and-bridoon — fearing  accidents  to 
the  bit  and  rein.  Three  accidents  are  possible  to  the 
Pelham  bridle  :  The  bit,  rein  or  curb  might  break  ;  there 
is  then  no  alternative,  but  a  clean  runaway  in  the 
absence  of  moral  control  and  ** trust  to  luck."  All 
horses'  mouths  are  not  made  to  order,  and  the  same  bit, 
bridle  and  saddle  should  be  used,  so  that  the  horse  will 


THE   BIT-AND-BRIDOON   FOR  '  SADDLE   HORSES.         59 

feel  at  home,  as  we  do  ourselves  in  old  clothes.  A 
woman's  arm  is  not  strong  enough  to  contend  with  a 
hard  mouth  or  jJuHing  horse,  in  either  riding  or  driving. 
The  power,  therefore,  should  be  in  the  bit,  and  besides 
having  her  horse,  in  either  service,  well-mouthed,  she 
should  have  the  strength  in  the  bit  in  proportion  to  a 
possible  necessity,  so  that  she  could  use  it  at  her  option 
to  lighten  u]^  her  horse's  head  and  control  him  in  any 
emergency.  Her  horse  must  be  so  trained  that  the  bit- 
and-bridoon  will  be  powerful  enough  to  master  him,  for 
this  is  essentially  a  woman's  bridle,  and  everything 
should  be  equal  to  it. 

If  a  woman's  horse  becomes  restive  from  undue  use  of 
the  curb,  or  any  other  cause,  and  she  be  not  au  fait  in 
its  management,  a  straight  runaway  on  an  o^Den  field 
or  road  might  be  less  dangerous  than  contending  with  an 
untrained  or  strange  horse  in  a  fit  of  capering,  rearing 
and  plunging  to  get  free  from  the  curb,  which  should  be 
dropped  when  he  shows  any  disposition  to  cut  up  capers, 
as  he  is  likely  to  do  if  he  shies  at  anything — for,  un- 
fortunately, it  is  customary  to  chastise  horses  for  this 
habit,  which  arises  from  a  naturally  timid  and  cautious 
disposition  to  keep  out  of  danger.  Of  course  the  chas- 
tising makes  him  worse,  knowing  that  when  he  sees  any- 
thing to  fear  and  shies  at  it,  he  will  get  whij^ped  or 
spurred.  When  a  horse  becomes  restive  and  rears,  it  is 
frequently  from  too  much  pressure  of  the  curb,  which  he 
may  not  like  or  understand,  and  thinking  he  is  wanted 
on  his  hind  legs  (for  the  curb  has  a  tendency  to  cause 
him  to  throw  up  his  head  to  ease  his  under-jaw  from  the 
chain)  rears  accordingly.  As  a  saddle-horse  may  balk 
from  bad  riding,  and  a  harness-horse  stop  from  bad  driv- 
ing, or  both  run  away  from  bad  handling,  we  must  ex- 
amine the  bit  and  see  where  the  fault  is ;  this  the 
experienced  eye  can  see  at  a  glance. 


60 


THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 


THE   CUEB   AI^D   MARTINGALE. 

The  curb  and  martingale  have  no  fellowship  with  each 
other.  They  belong  to  two  different  bits  or  different 
reins,  for,  while  the  curb  cannot  be  used  on  the  bridoon, 
the  martingale  should  not  be  used  on  the  curb  rein.  The 
use  of  either  one  needs  judgment,  whether  put  on  at  all, 
or  used  at  all  when  on.  To  be  effective,  without  over- 
controlling  the  horse,  they  require  very  nice  adjusting  in 
regulating  their  controlling  power,  so  as  to  be  easy  and 
agreeable  to  the  horse  when  slack,  and  yet  be  so  nicely 
held  as  to  remind  him  they  are  there  when  required. 
The  whip,  the  curb  and  the  spur  unite  in  their  respective 
appliances  to  keep  the  horse  alive  to  his  duties  and  ever 
ready  to  obey  with  alacrity  his  rider's  will,  whether  con- 
veyed by  word,  bit  or  motion  of  the  body  or  limbs. 


-♦©♦- 


OHAPTEB    ly. 


Fig.  20.— THE   CAVALRY  BIT. 

THE  CAVALRY  BIT. 


The  cavalry  bit,  with  arched  bar  and  single  rein,  is 
very  powerful.  It  is  used  with  a  strong  curb  chain  ;  in 
the  mouth  of  an  untrained  horse  and  in  the  hands  of  a 


THE   CAVALRY   BIT. 


61 


bad  horseman  it  is  cruelly  severe.  Eesistauce  to  it  on 
the  horse's  part,  or  undue  use  of  it  on  the  rider's,  are 
both  alike  wrong,  and  from  lack  of  primary  mouthing, 
daily  use  and  due  training,  the  results  of  superficial  edu- 
cation are  evident  in  every  move  of  both  horse  and  rider. 
Nothing  in  equestrian  practice  pleases  a  recruit  better 
than  to  use  this  bit  and  keep  his  horse  on  the  dance  all 
the  time,  with  his  chin  on  his  breast  to  show  him  off, 
thinking  it  looks  stylish.  For  the  service  our  cavalry 
horses  have  to  perform,  this  bit  is  too  severe  when  used 
alone  by  unskilled  hands.  Using  the  same  kind  of  bit 
with  every  horse  is  a  great  error.  It  is  well  enough  to 
call  them  regulation  bits,  but  to  some  horses  they  are 
regulation  tortures.  Horses  are  not  like  castings — made 
to  order  and  all  run  in  the  same  mould. 


MOUKTED   POLICE. 


The  New  York  mounted  police  use  this  kind  of  bit  and 
curb  with  a  single  rein,  and  be  the  horse  hard  or  tend- 


lig.  SL — MOUNTED  pou:cE. 

er-mouthed,  fast  or  slow,  sluggish  or  high-mettled,  he 
must  submit  to  its  severity.  The  men  as  a  body,  of 
course,  are  not  practical  horsemen,  nor  are  they  subject 
to  regular  drill  to  improve  them  in  that  accomplishment. 
The  result  is  that  their  horses  are  always  on  the  curb  or 
dance,  without  any  interval  of  relief,  and  are  thus  ren- 


62 


THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 


dered  incapable  of  some  possible  performance  necessary 
in  the  course  of  their  duties. 

It  is  necessary  to  have  perfect  control  of  the  cavalry 
horse  in  action.  For  this  purpose  the  bar  of  the  cavalry 
bit  is  arched  to  such  a  degree  that  when  the  rein  is  drawn 
backward,  the  arch  is  pressed  forward  against  the  roof  of 
the  mouth,  and  thus  pries  it  ojDen,  while  the  curb  chain 
presses  on  the  under-jaw,  which  combined  action  brings 
the  head  down  in  subjection  to  the  hand,  or  causes  him 
to  rear.  No  liorse  could  swallow  this  bit  if  nothing  broke, 
and  he  is,  therefore,  always  under  control.     But  there  is 


Fig.  22.— MOUNTED  POLICE  BIT. 


a  limit  to  the  frequency  and  the  degrees  of  this  use  of 
such  a  bit,  for  an  undue  application  of  it  keeps  a  nervous, 
sensitive  animal  on  the  dance,  fret  and  sweat  while  he  is 
on  duty,  and,  besides  tiring,  takes  out  of  him  the  vim  and 
lire  that  could  be  reserved  for  a  better  purpose  Avhen 
required  for  tiie  benefit  of  the  service  and  not  for  the 
vanity  of  the  rider.  This  bagging  and  yanking  at  the  bit 
is  done,  perhaps,  some  twenty  times  an  hour  while  the 
horse  is  under  the  saddle,  whereas  once  or  twice  a  day  on 
such  duty  might  suffice,  if  necessary  at  all. 

Bits  such  as  these  are  used  mercifully   in  countries 


THE   CAVALRY   BIT.  G3 

where  men  are  on  horseback  from  childhood  ;  for,  having 
a  perfectly  balanced  seat  under  all  circumstances,  they 
are  not  dependent  on  reins  to  balance  them  in  their  own 
or  their  horse's  critical  motions  and  performances.  Not 
so  with  the  recruit,  in  our  service  and  the  European,  who 
enters  the  cavalry  school  at  eighteen  (an  age  at  which 
and  from  which  no  man  could  be  made  a  horseman,  in 
possession  of  the  necessary  knowledge  of  the  horse  and  of 
all  the  arts  and  science  that,  from  youth  alone,  can  be 
and  are  acquired  and  mastered  as  he  advances  up  to  that 
age);  there  is  too  much  to  learn  beyond  the  mere  cavalry 
drill  and  the  necessary  riding  that  attends  it  on  ordinary 
duty,  in  either  peace  or  war.  The  horse,  his  rider  and 
the  sword  have  been  inseparable  since  wars  began,  and 
they  ever  will  be  ;  and  the  more  perfect  the  horseman 
the  more  dexterous  he  can  be  with  his  weapons.  But  as 
the  cavalry  saddle,  bridle,  seat,  training  and  duties  are 
different  from  those  in  that  branch  of  peculiar  horseman- 
ship (in  the  field)  that  excels  them  all,  the  character  of 
the  riding  must  necessarily  be  different  also. 


64 


THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 


CHAPTEE    V. 

THE  CAVALRY  BIT-AND-BRIDOON. 

The  regulation  cavalry  bridle,  as  used  in  the  United 
States  army,  has  two  bits,  a  curb,  two  reins  and  one  head- 


Fig.  23. — CAVALRY  BIT-AND-BRIDOON. 

stall.  The  curb  bit  is  the  same  as  that  described  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter.  The  bridoon  or  watering  bit  has  no  guards 
and  is  used  with  the  curb  bit  as  an  auxiliary  when  the  horse 
is  mounted,  but  is  used  alone  in  going  out  to  water.  The 
bridoon  has  rings  and  a  single  loop-joint  between  the  bars, 
the  same  as  the  snaffle.  It  has  four  distinct  uses  :  First, 
that  of  a  watering  bridle  ;  second,  for  easing  the  mouth 
from  the  curb  bit ;  third,  for  certain  uses  of  weapons  in 
action,  especially  the  sword  ;  fourth,  for  leaping.  But 
owing  to  the  trouble  it  gave  in  changing  from  the  use  of 
one  bit  to  the  other  and  the  care  of  it,  it  was  thrown  away 
by  many  men  in  the  cavalry  service  during  the  war  of 
the  rebellion,  and  then  there  was  no  relief  from  the 


THE   CAVALRY   BIT-AND-BRIDOON".  65 

curb  bit  until  the  men  got  well  shook  into  their  saddles 
and  learned  to  use  it  in  moderation. 

As  the  ground  and  country  that  cavalry  has  to  cross, 
manoeuvre  and  tight  over  in  war  time  is  never  made  to 
order,  the  horse  should  be  bitted  to  meet  every  emer- 
gency, and  as  leaping  with  the  curb  bit  is  both  uncertain 
and  dangerous  for  both  man  and  horse,  the  bridoon  or 
its  equivalent  should  be  available.  However  carefully  we 
may  plan  and  provide  in  peace  time  for  certain  services 
in  the  field  in  war,  we  find  that,  when  pnt  to  the  prac- 
tical test,  some  things  are  objectionable  and  even  useless, 
and  therefore  abandoned.  The  watering  bridle  was  one 
of  them.  It  was  cumbersome  and  took  time  to  put  on 
the  horse  in  critical  moments,  when  suddenly  attacked 
on  picket  posts  or  during  halts  when  the  order  was  given 
to  ungirth,  unfold  blankets,  take  ofi"  the  bridles  and 
*' saddle  up." 

THE   BEIDOOX   BIT  II?"   ACTION". 

The  watering  or  bridoon  bit,  or  its  equivalent,  is  used, 
or  should  be,  in  riding  forward  at  speed,  sword  in  hand 
to  point  or  thrust.  The  curb  bit  in  halting,  falling  back, 
turning  round,  or  throwing  the  horse  on  his  haunches  to 
deliver  a  cut  to  the  right  rear,  or  in  delivering  the  rear 
cut  and  point,  and  other  assaults,  is  used  as  follows  in  the 

CAVALRY   CHARGE  : 

As  a  cavalry  charge  frequently  resolves  itself  into 
a  mtUe,  a  series  of  hand-to-hand  encounters  take  place 
before  the  soldier  gets  out  of  the  fight,  if  he  ever  does. 
Should  the  enemy's  line  be  composed  of  cavalry,  and  it 
breaks,  and  the  pursuers  with  spurs  pressed  home  and 
bridoon  rein  in  hand,  bring  it  to  bay,  cuts,  points,  par- 
ries and  guards  are  resorted  to  in  quick  succession,  in 
both  attack  and  defense,  as  circumstances  require  at  each 
eventful  moment  in  the  progress  of  the  fight  for  life. 


66  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

death  or  victory.  No  sooner  is  a  thrust  made  at  a  right 
front  attack  (for  which  we  are  using  the  bridoon  rein,  fig. 
24),  than  we  are  assaulted  on  our  right  rear  with  the  first 
cut.  To  meet  this  onslaught  we  slacken  the  bridoon  rein, 
take  up  the  curb,  drop  the  point  of  our  sword  to  the  rear. 


Fig.  24.— CHAEGE — POINT  TO  THE  FRONT. 

guard  the  assault,  and  with  a  sharp  and  dexterous  turn 
of  the  wrist  and  a  slashing  cut,  draw  the  edge  of  the 
sword  across  our  antagonist's  face,  clap  spurs  to  our 
horoe  and  dash  on,  or  turn  for  assault  or  defense. 

The  horse  still  on  the  curb,  we  are  assaulted  on  our 
right  front,  and  as  our  antagonist's  sword  comes  down 
upon  our  guard  (the  point  of  our  sword  well  turned  to 
the  right),  we  draw  the  left  rein  shorter  than  the  right,  to 


:;;;,-s^ 


Figf.  25.— CUT   TO  THE  REAR. 

turn  our  horse's  head  aAvay  from  the  sweep  of  the  sword 
(fig.  25),  then,  throwing  him  on  his  haunches,  deliver 
the  right  or  right  rear  cut,  parry  or  point,  pass  on,  turn 
short  round  to  the  right  or  left,  and  attack  him  in  the 
rear.     Our  antagonist  disposed  of,  the  curb  rein  still  in 


THE   CAVALRY   BIT-AND-BRIDOON".  67 

hand  and  spurs  pressed  home,  the  horse  dashes  on  as  the 
victor  or  the  vanquished  to  meet  another  foe,  or  rejoin 
the  ranks.  The  fate  of  empires  have  been  decided  by 
cavalry  charges  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  read  tliis 
parao^raph.  Cavalry  attacks  are  sharp,  short  and  de- 
cisive, for  either  victory  or  defeat. 

The  interested  reader  Avill  understand  that,  to  get  a 
balancing  purchase  to  enable  the  swordsman  to  put  more 
power  into  the  sword-arm  in  thrusting  to  the  front,  the 
left  hand  pulls  on  the  bridoon  bit  while  the  right  hand 
delivers  the  point,  rendered  all  the  more  effective  by  the 
velocity  of  the  charge.  Pulling  the  bridoon  rein  with  all 
one's  might  for  the  instant,  balances  the  body  and  thus 
gives  the  right  arm  corresponding  power  to  push,  which 
it  could  not  have  if  the  body  had  no  support  from  the 
bridoon  rein  in  running  the  antagonist  through.  This 
lever  ^^ower  could  not  be  had  from  the  other  rein,  for 
the  severity  of  the  curb  and  curb  bit  would  not  admit  of 
it  from  that  source ;  and  the  horse,  instead  of  rushing 
forward  in  response  to  the  spurs,  would  halt  and  fall 
back,  the  very  reverse  of  the  action  necessary  to  give  ad- 
ditional force  to  the  forward  thrust  in  such  a  hand-to-hand 
conflict,  which  frequently  takes  place  in  cutting  down 
the  cavalry  antagonist,  capturing  the  standard  or  the  de- 
fenders of  batteries  that  have  got  the  range,  and  are  mow- 
ing down  the  troops  of  the  assailant.  If  we  reverse  this 
action  of  the  arms  and  rest  the  left  hand  on  a  box  the 
height  of  our  knee,  what  strength  it  gives  the  right  arm 
to  lift  a  weight  that,  from  want  of  balancing  powers,  we 
could  not  "  wind." 

In  pursuing  a  defeated  army  the  infantry  soldier  turns 
his  bayonet  to  the  cavalry  pursuer,  who,  in  passing  him 
by,  gives  him  a  slashing  rear  cut,  and  should  he  fire  after 
his  assailant  the  next  swordsman  cuts  him  down  before 
he  has  time  to  reload  or  fire  again.  But  in  these  days  of 
modern  improvements  in  fire-arms  the  pursuing  cavalry 


68  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

soldier  is  at  a  disadvantage  in  his  conflict  with  the  in- 
fantry soldier,  armed  with  a  magazine  gun ;  yet,  under  all 
circumstances,  men  in  action  do  the  best  they  can,  and 
in  this  emergency  the  pursuing  blood-thirsty  cavalier 
brings  his  bit  again  into  requisition,  and  attacking  a 
pursued  man  on  his  left,  suddenly  throws  his  horse  low 
upon  his  haunches,  and  with  the  assault  or  rear  cut  hews 
the  man  down  with  a  single  blow.  The  expert  infantry 
soldier  parries  the  sword  with  his  boyonet,  while  the  ex- 
pert and  cool-headed  swordsman  lets  the  parry  pass  his 
feint  and  then  deliA^ers  his  cut.  The  expert  swordsman 
takes  care,  when  he  can,  that  his  parry  ends  where  his 
most  effective  cut  or  point  begins,  and  is  delivered  in  the 
opening  made  by  the  parry.  In  these  critical  movements 
of  both  the  horse  and  rider,  and  the  necessarily  dexterous 
handling  of  the  sword  or  lance,  it  will  be  perceived  that 
the  bit  plays  the  most  delicate  and  necessary  part,  and 
that  without  it  nothing  could  be  done. 

In  some  cavalry  scliools  of  practice  we  have  seen  the 
same  pace  kept  up  in  delivering  both  points  and  cuts, 
but  this  is  contrary  to  the  plainest  rules  of  common  sense 
and  the  Eastern  swordsman's  effective  practice.  For,  if 
we  cut  to  the  rear  while  we  are  charging  to  the  front,  the 
sneed  neutralizes  the  force  of  our  cut,  because  we  are 
moving  away  from  instead  of  to  the  object  we  assault — 
on  the  same  principle  of  rowing  with  or  against  a  stream. 
In  rowing  down  stream  we  have  the  advantage  of  the 
force  of  the  current  against  our  oars  ;  but,  if  we  row 
against  it,  the  water  gives  way  with  the  oars  and  we 
lose  power  that  we  gain  by  the  resistance  of  the  current 
against  the  oars  in  going  with  it.  So  that  when  the  pur- 
sued and  pursuers  are  going  the  same  way  the  halt  of  the 
latter  is  indispensable  for  an  effective  cut  to  the  rear  ; 
besides  it  is  safer  to  entertain  the  antagonist  till  disposed 
of,  rather  than  to  pass  on  and  leave  him  in  a  condition 
to  keep  up  a  magazine  fusillade  at  the  cavalry  target.    In 


THE   CAYALKY   BTT-AXD-BRIDOON".  C9 

such  instances  of  life  and  death  struggles  by  the  indi- 
Yidual  members  of  a  squadron  or  two  of  well  led  cavalry, 
pending  great  battles,  the  loss  of  armies  and  the  fates  of 
empires  have  been  decided.  There  are  so  many  advantages 
uecessarv  to  the  success  of  cavalrv  chars^cs,  that  it  does 
not  always  depend  upon  the  judgment  of  the  commander. 
The  ground  and  strength  of  position  will  often  favor  tlie 
numerically  weaker  force. 

FOREIGN   OR   EASTERN   BITS. 

It  may  be  argued  that  in  Spanish- America,  Spain,  Tar- 
tary,  Circassia,  Arabia,  and  Eastern  countries  generally, 
the  curb  and  ring  bits  are  used  singly  on  all  occasions. 
We  are  aware  of  this  ;  but,  in  the  first  place,  the  horse- 
men in  those  countries  are  in  the  saddle  from  childhood 
and  know  how  to  use  the  bit  and  spare  the  horse ;  and, 
secondly,  while  we  have  imported  and  adopted  the  bits, 
we  have  left  the  riders  at  home.  The  curb  bit  in  the 
cavalry  service,  as  in  the  hunting  field,  should  never  be 
used  in  leaping,  and  as  battle  fields  are  geographically 
uncertain,  cavalry  should  be  prepared  to  take  things  as 
they  come.  But  only  one  bit  and  two  reins — one  mild 
and  the  other  severe — on  the  Pelham  plan,  is  the  best 
bit  for  the  cavalry  horse  and  the  service  he  performs. 

With  the  curb  bit  alone  the  horse  can  be  manoeuvred 
in  any  way,  but  he  cannot  be  made  to  leap  unless  he 
chooses,  for  the  use  of  the  curb  defeats  the  effort.  It 
intimidates  and  confuses  the  horse  when  he  is  calculating 
his  distance  and  taking  the  measure  of  the  object  before 
him.  It  attracts  his  attention  from  his  work,  and  draw- 
ing his  head  down  con  vexes  his  crest  when  it  ought  to  be 
concaved,  and  instead  of  giving  him  his  head  as  he  wants 
and  needs  it  for  both  wind  and  action  as  well  as  observa- 
tion, he  is  held  down  and  back,  both  of  which  are  the 
very  reverse  of   what  we  w^ant  him  to  do  ;   hence  the 


70  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

numerous  accidents.  Those  who  doubt  the  judgment  of 
the  horse  must  yield  to  the  fact  that  the  most  ordinary 
horse  or  animal  of  any  kind  puts  muscular  j3ower  to  his 
bound  in  j^roportion  to  the  width  or  height  to  be  leaped. 
As  we  bid  farewell  to  the  cavalry  regulation  watering 
bit,  on  campaigns,  we  do  not  do  so  without  recommending 
a  substitute  uot  unknown  to  the  service,  and  one  that  is 
calculated  to  answer  all  the  requirements  of  both  bits  and 
the  advantage  claimed  in  resuming  its  use.  We  must  con- 
sider that  we  cannot  have  everything  our  own  way  while 
the  horse  we  ride  has  to  do  the  work.  His  ideas  must  be 
consulted  as  to  how,  not  what,  is  to  be  done.  Give  him 
to  understand  by  proper  means  what  jou  want  him  to  do, 
and  leave  the  performance  to  him.  If  the  rider  don't 
know  how  to  give  his  horse  to  understand  how  high  or 
how  far  he  is  to  jump,  he  had  better  learn. 


-»<>•- 


CHAPTER    VI. 
CAVALRY  OR  MILITARY  BIT. 

The  old  cavalry  or  military  bit,  with  rings  in  a  line 
with  the  bar  for  bridoon  reins,  is  preferable,  as  regards 
the  rings  and  their  purposes,  to  the  regulation  cavalry- 
bit  now  used  in  the  United  States  Army.  For  the  curb 
and  bridoon  reins  work  the  same  bit,  but  with  different 
powers,  meanings,  effects,  times  and  results.  In  the  use 
of  the  rings  for  the  bridoon  reins,  we  dispense  with  the 
watering  bit  on  campaigns  and  adopt  a  steering  apparatus 
far  better  adapted  for  practical  purposes  in  the  field  than 
ihe  bridle  now  in  use.  Our  reasons  for  recommendins:  it 
are  drawn  from  our  life-long  practical  knowledge  of  horses 
and  horsemanship  of  different  kinrls,  both  civil  and  mili- 
tary, thus  taking  in  a  wide  range  of  experience,  alike  in 
America  and  Europe ;  and  we  have  no  hesitation  in  say- 


CAVALRY   OR   MILITARY   BIT.  71 

m""  that  it  is  easier  and  better  for  the  horse,  while  his 
rider  can  do  more  and  do  it  better  with  it  than  with  the 
regulation  bit  as  now  used  with  the  watering  bit.  The 
great  advantage  is  in  the  two  rings  for  the  bridoon 
reins,  which,  when  drawn,  do  not  put  any  strain  on  the 
lever  and  the  curb  that  the  curb  rein  alone  works  with 
such  effect  on  the  most  trivial  occasions,  as  described  in 
the  preceding  chapter.  In  this  bridle  we  have  the  prin- 
ciples and  advantages  of  the  Pelham,  thus  abandoning  at 
certain  times,  for  convenience,  the  troublesome  watering 
bridle,  which  our  men  in  the  late  war  found  of  more  use 
for  carrying  bundles  of  hay  and  straw  to  their  horses  than 
for  riding  with,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  its  value  in  this  re- 
spect was  equivalent  to  the  trouble  of  carrying  it. 

Articles  furnished  cavalry  soldiers  are  not  always  put 
exclusively  to  their  legitimate  uses.  His  hat  holds  alter- 
nately his  head,  water  and  grain  ;  his  blanket  covers  his 
body  and  keeps  it  warm  at  night  and  cool  by  day — carries 
corn  in  the  ear  and  chaff  and  utensils  to  camp.  His 
shelter  tent  (^*  a  covert  from  the  storm  and  a  shadow  from 
the  heat")  carries  bread,  sauitarj  supplies  and  ample 
loot.  His  bridle  serves  as  a  halter  ;  his  saddle  bears 
his  body  on  the  march  and  his  head  in  the  hour  of  re- 
pose ;  his  surcingle  binds  on  his  saddle  on  the  daily  march 
and  serves  as  an  impromptu  trace  in  hauling  boxes  of 
mud  to  chink  his  winter  hut,  while  his  saddle  blanket, 
at  the  last  sound  of  the  evening  trumpet  call,  covers  his 
feet  and  keeps  off  the  chilling  midnight  air.  His  pistol 
kills  a  foe  to-day  and  a  friend  to-morrow ;  his  sword  hews 
down  men  at  morn  and  wood  and  bread  in  the  bivouac  at 
even,  and  at  night  marks  his  shallow  grave.  By  proper 
instruction  the  recruit  can  soon  learn  to  understand  how 
to  ease  his  horse's  mouth  and  still  have  a  rein  to  balance 
himself  till  he  gets  his  seat. 

The  argument  against  a  substitute  for  the  watering  bit 
will  ))e  that  a  horse  can't  drink  with  the  curb  bit,  and 


72  THE  BRIDLE  BITS. 

that  if  the  curb  bit  or  rein  should  break  or  be  cut  he  has 
the  bridoon  to  fall  back  on.  Horses  can  drink  all  they 
want  with  any  bit.  The  sacrifice  is  so  trifling,  compared 
with  the  advantages  of  dispensing  with  all  extra  encum- 
brances on  camj^aigus,  that  we  consider  the  j^reference  is 
due  tbe  proposed  change  and  general  adoption  of  the  sin- 
gle bit  with  rings  at  the  guards  on  a  line  with  the  bar. 
In  the  last  winter  of  our  civil  war,  scores  of  our  cavalry 
horses  in  CampAverill,  near  Winchester,  Ya.,  were  with- 
out blankets  and  halters,  and  were  consequently  tied  to 
stumps  with  the  curb  bridles  on  and  bits  in  their  mouths, 
the  watering  bits  having  been  thrown  away.  As  Assist- 
ant Inspector  General  in  Sheridan's  Corps,  one  of  our 
duties  was  to  send  to  the  War  Office  weekly  returns  of 
every  article  on  hand  and  everything  needed.  But  it  was 
in  vain  we  rej^orted  a  lack  of  horse  blankets  and  halters, 
and  asked  for  a  coil  of  rope  to  make  baiters  of.  The 
horses  stood  to  their  bridles  fast  to  stumps,  ate,  drank, 
raided  and  rested  durino;  all  that  winter  without  anv  re- 
lief,  irrespective  of  the  numerous  reports  and  requisitions 
made  for  these  and  other  things,  the  assertion  of  the  In- 
spector General  of  the  Corps,  Otis,  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding. 

By  the  resumption  of  the  old  bit  we  would  get  rid  of 
the  tortures  of  the  curb  and  the  trouble  and  annoyance 
of  the  watering  bridle,  which,  although  but  a  few  ounces 
weight,  is  an  encumbrance  which  tells  on  long  marches 
of  days  at  a  time,  while  it  serves  no  purpose  to  relieve  the 
horse  in  any  substantial  waj.  It  does  very  well  at  stations, 
in  peace  time,  when  men  have  nothing  else  to  do  but  to 
play  at  soldier  m  ridmg  out  to  water,  exercise,  drill, 
clean  barracks  and  horses  and  take  care  of  such  thin2:s  as 
make  up  the  general  assortment  of  cavalry  equipments. 
But  in  '*grim-visaged  war,"  when  an  army  strips  for  a 
campaign,  all  surperfluous  camp  articles — such  as  tents, 
baggage,  cooking  utensils,   forges,  tools,  women,  non- 


CAVALRY   OR   MILITARY   BIT.  73 

effective  men,  and  wagons  and  horses  not  needed — are  sent 
to  the  rear  to  lighten  up  and  disencumber  the  army  in  the 
field,  we  projoose  abandoning  the  watering  bridle  with 
the  rest,  and  thus  obeying  the  mandate  of  a  necessity  and 
ages  of  experience,  place  our  reliance  on  the  altered  regu- 
lation bridle  to  the  Pelham  plan  with  two  reins,  as  pro- 
posed and  shown  in  the  foregoing  cut  with  rings  for  bri- 
doon  reins. 

If  expedition  in  saddling  up  be  any  advantage,  we  gain 
on  it  by  having  only  one  instead  of  two  bits  to  put  on  ; 
and,  although  the  time  it  would  take  in  camp  to  put  on 
an  extra  bit  be  but  a  moment,  yet  that  moment,  when 
suddenly  attacked  at  a  disadvantage  at  an  outpost  in  war, 
could  ahvays  be  turned  to  better  account  in  preparing  to 
repel  the  attack  of  a  cavalry  force  yelling  like  demons  on 
its  approach,  within  fifty  yards,  perhaps,  of  the  post,  than 
in  fooling  with  a  dispensable  article  that  had  better  be  at 
home.  It  may  be  said  by  a  strict  discii3linarian  that  a 
cavalry  force  should  not  be  surprised  ;  this  is  true,  but 
surprises  have  taken  place  and  always  will  while  wars  are 
possible.  A  horse  can  drink  ail  he  wants  with  even  two 
bits  in  his  mouth,  and  to  carry  an  extra  bit  all  day  for 
the  sake  of  its  convenience  to  the  horse  in  two  minutes' 
drinking  every  twenty-four  hours,  is  certainly  not  an 
equivalent  to  the  relief  from  its  use  and  care.  If  the  bits 
were  kept  with  a  steel  polish,  as  in  the  civil  service,  there 
might  be  a  good  reason  for  using  the  bridoon  bit  on 
fatigue  duty  to  spare  the  curb  bit  from  dirt  and  rust  after 
it  was  hung  up  clean  and  ready  for  parade  ;  but  we  see 
no  other  valid  excuse,  so  long  as  the  curb  bit  with  two 
reins  will  answer  t\\e  purpose. 

Experience  in  war  relieves  an  army  of  a  vast  deal  of 
unnecessary  encumbrance,  which  is  added  to  by  the  ap- 
parent necessity  for  small  and  trifling  things  carried  with 
it  as  a  convenience  for  each  individual  composing  it.  An 
army  thus  encumbered  is  like  a  written  speech  ;    it  loses 


74  THE  BKTDLE   BITS. 

half  its  force  in  details,  which  the  off-hand,  extempora- 
neous speech  dispenses  with,  and  exposes  the  facts  with- 
out the  fogs.  (See  our  paper  on  the  subject  to  General 
Milroy,  December,  1883,  and  deposited  in  the  Cavalry 
Bureau,  AVar  Office,  Washington,  D.  C,  and  subse- 
quently partially  acted  upon  in  Sheridan's  army,  and 
perhaps  in  other  armies  during  the  latter  end  of  the  war.) 
In  March,  1862,  when  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  moved  on 
Eichmond,  the  First  New  York  (Lincoln)  Cavalry  Regi- 
ment took  forty-eight  quartermaster  wagons  on  the 
campaign.  Three  years  afterwards,  when  with  Sheridan 
in  the  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  the  regiment  was 
brigaded,  and  when  the  brigade  moved  again  on  Rich- 
mond and  on  to  Appomattox,  it  was  composed  of  three 
regiments — the  First  New  York  (Lincoln),  and  the  First 
and  Third  West  Virginia  (the  Second  Virginia  remained 
in  the  Valley) — there  was  but  one  wagon  allowed  to  the 
brigade,  thus  in  stripping  this  veteran  and  experienced 
army  for  the  campaign,  190  wagons,  764  mules  and  191 
drivers  were  dispensed  with,  and  there  being  none  but 
the  amunition  and  necessary  supply  wagons  to  cut  up 
the  roads  and  impede  the  progress,  the  army  moved  with 
effective  celerity. 

But  this  is  not  all.  In  the  spring  of  1864,  when  the 
Army  of  the  Shenandoah  was  under  marching  orders  for 
the  summer's  campaign,  an  order  was  issued  by  the 
commanding  general,  stating  in  detail  each  article  to  be 
supplied  to  and  carried  by  each  man  and  horse  in  the 
cavalry  arm  of  that  army.  Besides  sabre,  carbine,  pistol, 
twenty  rounds  of  pistol  and  forty  rounds  of  carbine  car- 
tridges, three  day's  rations  and  feed,  the  soldier's  kit,  or, 
as  they  call  it  m  the  West,  the  "possible  bag,"  was  to 
contain  soap,  towel,  socks,  comb,  brush,  knife  and  fork, 
tin  plate,  shoe  brush  and  blacking,  and  numerous  other 
articles  of  convenience  that  even  the  soldier  himself  don't 
like  to  leave  behind.     To  test  the  presumed  capacity  of 


CAYALRY   OR   MILITARY   BIT.  75 

the  cavalry  horse  as  a  beast  of  burden,  we  ordered  a  man 
weighing  175  pounds  to  fit  himself  out  with  a  full  supply 
of  this  regulation  outfit  and  rode  with  him  to  Adams' 
express  office  scales  in  Martinsburgh,  AYest  Virginia.  We 
ordered  the  horse  stripped  of  everything,  and  the  man 
with  his  accoutrements  and  the  trappings  of  his  horse 
put  in  the  scales,  which  balanced  at  280  pounds.  Of 
course  the  three  days'  feed  and  rations  for  the  man  and 
horse  became  less,  daily,  till  exhausted  ;  but  the  weight 
v/as  there  to  start  with,  and  with  the  excej)tion  of  the 
rations  there  vv'as  no  redaction  in  the  weights,  except 
that  of  the  cartridges,  in  the  event  of  an  argument  with 
'the  enemy. 

After  many  serious  arguments  the  campaign  resolved 
itself  into  a  retreat  from  Lynchburgh  to  the  Ohio  River. 
In  passing  through  the  Cumberland  Mountains  on  the 
way,  the  horses  being  overloaded,  gave  out,  and  some 
four  troops  were  shot  on  the  road  in  one  day.  The 
best  horses,  being  unequal  to  the  weight,  were  the  first 
to  fail  and  be  shot.  We  state  these  circumstances  to 
show  the  advantage  and  the  disadvantage  of  two  sys- 
tems— light  and  heavy  m:irching — and  that  there  is  a 
point  at  which  to  stop  adding  to  the  articles  in  a  soldier's 
kit  and  the  horse's  equipments. 


76 


THE   BRIDLE  BITS. 


CHAPTEE    VII 


MEXICAN  RING  BIT. 


The  illustration  below  represents  tlie  principle  of  the 
Spanish  ring  bit  as  nsed  in  Mexico  and  all  Spanish- 
American  countries.  It  far  excels  the  curb  in  both 
power  and  seventy.  The  ring  being  inflexible,  it  is  the 
most  cruel   of  all   the   bits   when  in   unskilled  hands. 


Fiof.  26. — MEXICAN   KING   BIT. 

While  the  curb  is  broad,  flat  and  comparatively  pliable, 
the  ring  is  hard  and  unyielding,  and  consequently  instant 
obedience  is  the  result  of  the  slightest  touch  of  the  rein. 
The  ring  passes  through  a  loop-hole  in  the  back  part  of 
the  apex  of  the  arch  in  the  bar,  while  the  front  of  the 
tongue  of  the  arch  is  rounded  off,  like  the  top  of  one's 
thumb,  so  that  when  it  presses  on  the  roof  of  the  mouth 
it  opens  it  but  don't  cut  the  bars  in  doing  so.  The  ring 
passes  out  at  the  upper  corners  of  the  mouth  and  around 
the  under  jaw,  and  when  the  rein  is  drawn  the  arch  is 
thrown  forward  against  the  palate  and  the  ring  pressed 
against  the   bones  of   the   under  jaw,  where   the   curb 


MEXICAN   RING   BIT.  77 

presses  and  exercises  its  masterly  functions,  but  with 
double  the  severity  of  the  curb.  Across  the  middle  of 
the  arch  in  the  bar  of  the  bit  there  is  a  small  bar  from 
which  hang  two  or  three  coj^per  tags,  which  act  on  the 
same  principle  as  those  on  the  mouthing  bit  and  for  the 
same  purpose. 

This  ring  bit  is  used  with  a  single  rein.  In  handling 
the  lasso  it  is  most  effective.  ,  Its  simplicity  and  con- 
venience recommend  it  for  the  expeditious  manner  in 
which  it  can  be  put  on,  there  being  no  curb  or  extra 
parts  to  look  up  and  fit  on  ;  but  we  recommend  it  only 
to  the  hand  that  is  skilled  in  its  use  and  w^ell  balanced 
in  the  saddle.  No  novice  should  use  it  before  putting  an 
old  horseshoe  in  his  own  mouth  and  letting  some  awk- 
ward fellow  drive  him  round  a  while  with  it  and  chuck 
him  now  and  then.  That  would  give  him  an  idea  of 
how  his  horse  would  suffer  in  uncultivated  hands.  The 
ring  bit  is  a  terror  to  all  horses  subject  to  its  control. 
The  best  made  ring  bits  are  manufactured  in  England. 
The  cut  given  represents  one  of  English  manufacture, 
intended  for  a  large  horse.  We  bought  the  original  in 
the  city  of  Mexico  and  used  it  under  protest  on  a  favorite 
horse  we  took  there  from  New  York.  Some  horses  don't 
take  to  it.  It  is  too  severe  for  the  timid,  high-strung 
animal,  and  too  cruel  if  used  on  a  'Munk-head"  or  large 
horse  that  would  not  yield  to  it.  In  our  opinion  the 
ring  bit  is  fit  only  for  small  horses  that  can  be  stopped 
short,  turned  round  and  thrown  back  at  will.  The  large 
ten  hundred  weight  horse  cannot  bring  up  such  a  heavy 
body  suddenly  in  answer  to  its  severity.  Such  heavy 
horses  should  be  trained  to  its  moral  rather  than  to  its 
physical  power,  i,  e.,  if  trained  to  it  at  all. 

The  system  of  brute  force  pursued  by  horsemen  in  the 
East  is  practiced  on  small,  short-legged  horses  that  can 
manoeuvre  on  a  limited  surface.  *^  In  France,''  savs 
Capt.  Nolan,  "they  make  their  chargers  canter  round  a 


78  .  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

sixpence  and  pull  up  and  turn  round  at  speed.  This  they 
do  by  tying  the  horse's  nose  down  with  a  standing  mar- 
tingale, attached  to  a  spiked  snaffle.  They  then  fasten 
a  rope  to  the  rings  of  the  snaffle  and  longe  the  animal  on 
a  very  small  circle,  with  a  man  on  his  back  who  strenu- 
ously applies  the  whip  and  spurs.  After  a  few  days  at 
this,  they  practice  the  horse  at  starting  off  at  speed  and 
pulling  up  on  the  spot,  when  their  charger  is  ready  for 
the  field."  This  training  is  entirely  mechanical.  The 
horse  feels  no  friendshijD  towards  his  rider — only  fear. 
But  this  is  not  training.  The  horse's  disposition  to  sub- 
mit to  moral  influence  is  not  cultivated,  nor  does  he  do 
anything  of  his  own  free  will — it  is  all  brute  force  ;  but 
even  with  this  it  could  not  be  made  so  effective  on  large, 
heavy  horses  as  on  small  ones. 

If  we  observe  the  peculiarity  of  the  horsemen  of  each 
nation,  we  will  find  that  the  character  of  the  riding, 
feats  and  exercises  are  regulated  by  the  breed,  size  and 
style  of  the  horses  of  the  resj)ective  countries.  Thus,  in 
Mexico  the  bull-fighter's  horse  is  not  only  a  small,  thin, 
active  mustang,  but  he  is  blindfolded  (and  not  unfre- 
quently  purposely  blinded)  before  being  taken  into  the 
arena  to  face  an  infuriated  bull,  maddened  by  fire-crackers 
fastened  to  darts  stuck  in  his  skin,  and  the  sights,  sounds 
and  smells  of  thousands  around  him,  and  rendered  fierce 
and  fearless  by  the  challenges  of  the  red  flags  and  the 
blood  of  others  beneath  his  feet.  Large  horses  would 
have  no  chance  or  advantage  in  such  a  contest,  and  when 
we  consider  the  practice  of  horsemen  in  the  Eastern 
countries,  we  find  that  their  expertness  Avith  spears,  sharp 
swords,  small,  active  horses  and  powerful  bits,  are  due 
to  the  peculiarity  of  the  different  breeds,  for  it  is  at  the 
very  threshold  of  circumstances  that  every  nation  has  its 
peculiarities,  as  well  in  its  practices  as  in  its  productions 
and  amusements. 

In  using  the  ring  bit  with  our  large   saddle-horses. 


MEXICAN   RING   BIT.  79 

patient  training  is  necessary  to  get  them  to  take  to  and 
understand  it.  On  the  retreat  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  from  before  Richmond,  in  1862,  we  put  our 
Mexican  ring  bit  on  a  young,  high-strung  horse  of  fine 
speed  and  action.  He  went  perfectly  wild.  The  first 
thing  he  did  was  to  run  away  with  it,  and  in  trying  to 
stop  him  the  ring  broke,  when  the  horse,  taking  his 
head,  dashed  into  the  ranks  as  if  he  expected  relief  from 
the  troop  horses.  He  seemed  maddened  and  acted  like  a 
horse  with  a  bee  in  his  ear.  On  the  same  day,  at  the 
battle  of  Savage  Station,  we  went  in  search  of  a  canteen 
of  water,  and  on  returning  the  horse  took  fright  again  ; 
and  having  no  control  of  him  with  a  broken  bit,  he 
'^  swallowed  "  it  and  dashed  through  a  quartermaster's  tent 
and  stores  on  fire,  near  Savage  Station,  and  again  rushed 
into  the  ranks.  He  certainlv  declared  war  ao^ainst  the 
ring  bit ;  but  as  he  was  too  good  an  animal  to  conquer 
in  such  a  way,  and  thus  break  his  spirit  and  otherwise 
trifle  with  his  disposition,  we  humored  him  and  never 
put  the  bit  in  his  mouth  again. 

On  another  occasion — in  a  charge  on  cavalry  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  5th,  1864,  at  the  battle  of 
Piedmont,  Va., — the  curb  of  a  regulation  bit  broke  and 
he  dashed  through  the  enemy's  ranks  like  a  shot,  and, 
bringing  him  round  by  degrees,  he  rejoined  the  regiment. 
This  horse  was  wholly  unmanageable  with  any  bit  when 
he  took  it  into  his  head  to  run  away.  But  after  we  be- 
came better  acquainted  and  he  began  to  know  our  voice, 
we  had  rings  put  on  the  guards  of  a  regulation  bit,  and 
henceforth  always  used  the  bridoon  rein,  except  in  action, 
when  necessity  required  the  curb.  If  we  must  keep  such 
powerful  regulation  bits  we  must  have  horses'  mouths 
made  to  order,  for  the  question  is  not  what  bit  will  suit 
the  horse,  but  what  horse  will  suit  the  bit.  We  used  the 
altered  regulation  bit  with  this  horse  until  he  became 
accustomed  to  it,  and  never  used  any  other  with  him  to 


80  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

the  end  of  the  war.  We  rode  him  afc  three  steeple-chases 
and  won  tlie  regimental  challenge  cup  three  times,  and 
brought  it  and  its  gallant  winner  home  "  when  the  cruel 
war  was  over." 


-K>^ 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

EASTERN  HORSES. 

Horses  found  their  way  into  Europe  from  the  East, 
where  they  were  highly  prized  and  used  for  the  saddle. 
The  smaller  the  horse  the  easier  it  is  to  handle  him  and 
use  him  to  a  powerful  bit.  And  as  horsemanship  and 
swordsmanship  were  highly  estimated  accomplishments, 
and  inseparable  in  those  countries  in  ancient  times,  as  they 
are  still  in  many  parts,  the  art  of  single  combat  required 
the  nimble  action  of  the  small  horse  to  charge,  strike, 
wheel  and  retire  to  insure  victory  over  a  less  active  foe, 
unskilled  in  the  game  of  cavalry  tag. 

As  a  test  of  horsemanship  and  training  it  is  a  common 
practice  in  Mexico  to  ride  the  small,  active  mustang  at 
full  speed  against  a  stone  wall,  and  rein  him  up  to  a  dead 
stand  with  his  forefeet  asrainst  the  base  of  the  wall.  This 
is  certainly  a  great  feat,  and  one  that  could  not  be  per- 
formed by  our  large  saddle  horses.  It  shows  the  power 
of  the  bit  and  the  training  of  the  horse  to  its  use  in  yield- 
ing to  it  instantly,  instead  of  resisting  its  power. 

Captain  Nolan,  of  the  Fifteenth  Hussars,  and  of  Bala- 
klava  Light  Brisfade  fame,  contends  that  "  the  English 
horse  has  no  superior  in  anything."  But  both  Nolan  and 
Sir  George  Cox  wrote  more  from  theory  than  from  prac- 
tical knowledsre  or  unbiased  minds.  Nolan  savs  :  *'I 
have  heard  it  said  that  the  English  horse  is  not  adapted, 
like  the  Arab  and  others  of  Eastern  breed,  to  skirmishing. 


EASTERN   HORSES.  81 

to  pulling  up  from  speed  and  turning  quickly.  The 
better*  the  horse  the  more  adapted  to  all  feats  of  agility 
and  strength.  No  horse  can  compare  with  the  English, 
no  horse  is  more  easily  broken  in  to  anything  and  every- 
thing— and  there  is  no  quality  in  which  the  English  horse 
does  not  excel,  no  performance  in  which  he  cannot  beat 
all  competition."  Gammon  !  This  is  strong  language  and 
saYors  of  partiality  rather  than  prejudice,  for  further 
on  he  extols  Eastern  in  preference  to  English  horses. 

The  captain  goes  on  the  Irishman's  principle  that  one 
horse  'Ms  as  good  as  another  and  a  great  deal  better,"  for 
he  proceeds  as  follows  :  ^*  An  officer  in  India  made  a  bet 
that  he  would  himself  ride  his  charger  (an  Arab,  little 
more  than  fourteen  hands  high)  four  hundred  measured 
miles  in  five  consecutive  days,  and  he  won  the  match. 
The  horse  performed  his  task  with  ease,  and  did  not  even 
throw  out  a  windfall.  General  Dumas  relates  that  the 
horses  of  the  Sahara  will  travel  during  five  or  six  days 
from  seventy-five  to  ninety  miles  a  day,  and  that  in 
twenty-four  hours  they  will  go  over  from  one  hundred 
and  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  and  this  over 
a  stony  desert.  Diseases  of  the  feet  and  broken-wind  are 
almost  unknown  amonsr  them.  What  would  become  of 
an  English  cavalry  regiment  if  suddenly  required  to 
make  a  few  forced  marches  or  to  keep  up  a  pursuit  for  a 
few  hundred  miles  ?  Their  want  of  power  to  carry  the 
wei2:ht  and  want  of  brcedins^  makes  them  tire  after  trot- 
ting  a  few  miles  on  the  line  of  march. 

*^  Our  cavalry  horses  are  feeble ;  they  measure  high, 
but  do  so  from  length  of  limb,  which  is  weakness,  not 
power.  The  blood  they  require  is  not  that  of  our  weedy 
race  horse  (an  animal  more  akin  to  the  greyhound  and 
bred  for  speed  alone),  but  it  is  the  blood  of  the  Arab  and 


♦The  word  "better"  has  a  wide  raiisjc.  Tliere  is  no  horse  of  any  breed  or 
conntry  that  is  not  "  better"  for  sonic  things  than  others  are,  and  in  our  opinion 
Nolan  uses  the  word  at  random. 


82  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

Persian  to  give  them  that  compact  form  and  wiry  hmb 
that  they  need.  The  fine  Irish  troop  horses,  formerly  so 
sought  for,  are  not  now  (1853)  to  be  procured  in  the 
market.  Instead  of  the  long,  low,  deej^-chested,  short- 
backed,  strong-boned  horse  of  former  days,  yon  find 
nothing  now  but  long-iegged,  straight-shouldered*  ani- 
mals, prone  to  disease  from  the  time  they  are  foaled,  and 
whose  legs  grease  after  a  common  field  day.  These  ani- 
mals form  the  staple  of  our  remounts. 

^'  The  English  cavalry  are  not  what  they  should  be.  If 
brought  fresh  into  the  field  of  battle,  the  speed  of  the 
horses  and  the  pluck  of  the  men  would  doubtless  achieve 
great  things  for  the  moment ;  but  they  could  not  endure, 
they  could  not  follow  up,  they  could  not  come  again. 
All  other  reforms  in  our  cavalry  will  be  useless  unless 
this  important  point  be  looked  to.  It  is  building  a  house 
on  the  sand  to  organize  cavalry  without  good  horses. 
Government  alone  could  work  the  necessary  reform  by 
importing  stallions  and  mares  of  Eastern  blood  for  the 
purpose  of  breeding  troop  horses  and  chargers  for  the 
cavalry  of  England.  I  had  heard  of  fine  horses  in  Rus- 
sia, but  I  complacently  said  to  myself,  '^  Whatever  they 
are  they  cannot  be  as  good  as  the  English.'  However,  1 
went  to  Eussia,  and  seeing  is  believing.  Their  horse- 
artillery  and  cavalry  are  far  better  mounted  than  ours ; 
and  their  horses  are  immeasurably  superior  in  those  qual- 
ities which  constitute  the  true  war-horse,  namely,  cour- 
age, constitutional  vigor,  strength  of  limb  and  great 
power  of  endurance  under  fatigue  and  privation." 

It  would  certainly  be  very  hard  to  reconcile  these  two 
opinions  as  coming  from  the  same  writer.  It  goes  to 
show  how  prematurely  a  man  can  make  up  his  mind  to 
become  an  author  on  the  strength  of  his  theories  or  par- 

*No  straight-slionldered  horse  could  he  a  successful  racer  or  steeple-chaser, 
for  it  is  one  of  the  most  indispensable  formations  in  a  fast  horse  or  jumper  lo 
have  an  oblique  shoulder,  A  straight  shoulder  means  a  short  stride,  and  racers 
with  short  strides  are  distanced  aud  get  run  off  the  turf. — [Authob. 


EASTERJ^   HORSES.  83 

tialities,  and  tlius  ventilate  his  opinions  or  prejudices  to 
a  world  of  men  of  experience,  hard  practical  knowledge 
and  common  sense.  We  cannot  always  rely  upon  opinions 
based  on  practical  knowledge  in  some  matters,  for  obser- 
vation and  even  actual  contact  with  things  make  various 
impressions,  according  to  the  disposition,  experience  or 
education  of  the  person,  and  indeed  frequently  gives 
wrong  notions,  which,  while  they  tend  to  puzzle  the  un- 
initiated, are  nevertheless  easily  unraveled  by  men  of 
natural  and  varied  training,  who  have  been  set  right 
themselves  by  the  knowledge  and  judgment  of  others  as 
well  as  those  of  their  own.  But  General  Dumas'  180 
miles  in  twenty-four  hours,  for  cavalry,  would  be  seven 
and  one-half  miles  per  hour  ;  that  is  doubtful,  for  there 
is  no  horse  can  walk  as  fast  as  a  man,  and  few  if  any 
could  accomplish  it  on  a  stony  desert. 

Nolan  was  a  young  man  when  he  wrote  his  book,  and 
his  opinion  respecting  the  ability  of  the  English  horse  to 
compete  with  the  horses  of  all  nations  in  everything, 
wherever  found,  changed  as  he  visited  other  countries 
and  saw  for  himself  the  superiority  of  other  breeds  of 
horses  for  services  and  feats  that  he  acknowledges  the 
English  horse  could  not  accomplish.  He  might  as  well 
tell  us  that  a  black-and-tan  could  as  easily  get  into  the 
rat-hole  as  the  rat,  as  to  say  that  an  English  cavalry 
horse  could  compete  with  a  mustang  in  fighting  a  mad 
bull,  galloping  round  a  wheel-barrow,  or  in  traveling  sixty 
miles  a  day  on  prairie  grass  for  feed.  Nolan  certainly 
took  the  bit  in  his  teeth  and  ran  away  with  his  praise  of 
the  English  horse,  as  he  did  wi'th  his  subsequent  de- 
nouncement of  the  same  animal.  The  forte  of  the 
English  cavalry  horse  is  to  go  ahead  and  charge  through 
or  over  all  opposition,  but  when  he  is  required  to  compete 
with  the  Arab  or  the  mustang  in  their  performances,  he 
must  be  remodeled  and  taught  subjection  to  a  different 
bit  from  the  one  he  yields  to  now. 


84  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

We  would  not  have  noticed  the  gallant  captain's  re- 
marks on  the  English  horse,  but  for  the  advantage  it 
gives  us  in  drawing  a  line  between  the  English  breeds  of 
horses  and  tliose  of  other  countries,  in  botli  their  actions 
and  government  in  their  respective  and  appropriate  vo- 
cations under  the  saddle.  Other  remarks  of  the  captain 
on  this  subject  show  that  the  Eastern  horseman's  advan- 
tage over  the  European  cavalry  soldier  is  due  to  his  sharp 
sword  and  small,  active  horse,  that  is  perfectly  obedient 
to  the  bit  and  performs  in  proportion  to  his  size.  The 
value  of  the  English  horse  is  from  five  hundred  to  one 
thousand  dollars,  Avhile  that  of  the  mustang  (that  can 
beat  him)  is  fifteen  dollars.     Adieu,  captain. 

To  bring  a  horse  of  a  thousand  pounds  to  a  dead  stand- 
still from  almost  full  speed,  turn  round  and  charge  to 
the  rear  as  easily  as  one  can  a  small  cat  of  a  mustang  or 
Arab,  is  sheer  nonsense  to  assert ;  and  it  is  in  such  per- 
formances that  the  English  or  American  horse  of  the 
cavalry  standard  is  helpless  compared  with  the  small, 
active  horse  who  has  degenerated  to  four  or  five  hundred 
pounds  weight  from  its  ancestor,  the  famous  Andalusian 
breed,  imported  by  Cortes  and  occasionally  abandoned  in 
the  desert,  where  his  descendents  now  roam  in  wild 
bands  and  supply  the  rancliero  with  fresh  stock.  No  large 
horse  could  be  reined  up  suddenly  without  damage  to 
himself  or  something  else  in  some  shape,  and  it  is  against 
cavalry  composed  of  such  horses  that  light  cavalrv  is  so 
effective,  and  can  be  so  annoying  b}^  dashing  to  and  from 
them  as  the  gad-fly  does  to  the  horse  himself.  Even  in 
single  combat  the  small,  light  horse  has  the  advantage  in 
being  able  to  attack,  rushing  up,  delivering  a  blow  and 
then  retreating  at  full  speed,  and  when  his  pursuer  is 
drawn  out  at  full  speed  also,  he  turns  short  round  and 
lets  the  large  horse,  that  can't  stop  suddenly,  gallop  on 
to  his  rear.  And  where  is  the  small  horse  by  the  time  his 
pursuer  is  turned  round  ?    At  his  heels. 


EASTERJT   HOUSES.  85 

It  is  in  this  kind  of  i^erformance  that  the  mustang  and 
the  small  Eastern  horse  excels  the  English,  which  Cap- 
tain Nolan  proposes  to  improve  by  the  importation  of 
stallions  and  mares  of  the  Eastern  breeds.  But  this  has 
been  done  long  ago,  and  long  before  the  captain  was  born. 
The  experience  was  favorable,  for  the  Darly  Arabian  and 
others  were  the  result  of  such  enterprises.  We  have  rid- 
den hunters  by  the  famous  Escape,  out  of  Arabian  blood  ; 
also  hunters  by  Sir  Francis,  who  kept  the  Queen's  County 
challenge  cup  for  five  years  against  all  comers,  and  in  all 
these  performances  the  cross  with  the  Arab  horse  told. 
It  was  this  importation  of  foreign  blood — the  Norman, 
Tartar  and  Arab — that  has  made  the  English  horse  what 
he  is  under  the  saddle  as  a  hunter,  racer  and  steeple 
chaser,  and  as  which  he  is  king. 

The  difficulty  of  stopping  anything  of  great  weight  is 
demonstrated  in  various  ways.  The  projectile  of  a  ton 
weight  will  bury  itself  sixty  feet  in  a  mound  of  sand ;  but 
the  hundred- ton  gun  from  which  it  is  fired  can,  if  ex- 
posed, be  captured  and  silenced  by  a  charge  of  light 
cavalry  composed  of  mustangs,  governed  by  ring  bits 
that  enable  the  riders  to  manoeuvre  round  the  battery  and 
cut  down  the  gunners.  Weight  is  power ;  speed  is 
strength.  It  is  on  this  principle  that  heavy  cavalry  is 
effective,  with  power,  in  breaking  infantry  squares  when 
it  is  possible.  One  or  tlie  other  must  give  w^ay.  Either 
the  cavalry  must  be  shot  down  and  a  breastwork  of  dead 
and  dying  men  and  horses  piled  up  in  its  front,  thus 
fencing  out  the  charging  ranks,  or  the  square  must  give 
way  and  let  the  troopers  in.  It  is  in  such  an  encounter 
as  this  that  heavy  horses  are  effective,  and  in  which  a 
powerful  bit,  such  as  the  ring  or  curb  bit,  is  not  much 
used  till  the  work  of  breaking  the  square  is  done,  and 
the  melee  follows,  where  the  unwieldy  horse  is  at  the 
mercy  of  the  bullet  and  the  bayonet,  and  whether  he  stays 
in  or  gets  out  of  the  square  his  chances  are  against  him. 


86  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

Circumstances  of  climate  and  a  great  maritine  nation 
catered  to  the  equine  tastes  of  the  people  of  the  British 
Isles,  for,  having  had  intercourse  through  trading  and 
perpetual  wars  with  foreign  nations,  they  imported  su- 
perior animals  and  crossed  them  with  their  own,  and 
thus  improved  the  breeds  of  all  kinds  of  animals  to  such 
a  degree  that  not  only  the  formation  and  size  are  estab- 
lished, but  the  very  colors  of  all  the  varieties  give  them 
character  and  excellence,  so  that  they  can  be  identified 
as  this  or  that  breed  by  their  flesh  or  color  of  their  hair. 
The  superior  excellence  of  the  English  horse  has  come 
about  in  this  way.  The  saddle-horse,  which  is  bred  ex- 
clusively for  the  purpose  of  racing,  hunting  and  steeple 
chasing  (in  which  he  excels  wherever  he  goes,  and  in 
which  we  will  venture  to  say  he  has  no  superior  in  any 
clime),  will  not  be  improved  as  hunters  and  steeple 
chasers  by  a  cross  with  Eastern  stock,  if  deep  chests  and 
short  legs  are  to  characterize  the  improvements,  or  rather 
the  change.  Equestrian  sports  on  the  British  Isles  are 
the  consequence  of  their  having  the  horses  to  suit  the 
purposes  of  the  wildest  ambitions  in  these  respects.  As 
a  cavalry  horse,  to  carry  heavy  weight  and  endure 
fatigue  on  long  marches,  he  might  be  improved  under 
Eastern  treatment,  where  the  horses  are  out  in  the  open 
air  instead  of  being  housed  up  in  a  close  stable,  standing 
and  lying  down  in  narrow  stalls  and  tied  by  a  short 
halter  so  that  they  cannot  lie  down  and  stretch  their  legs 
out  to  rest  them  after  a  day's  march  or  hard  ride.  This 
alone  would  shorten  any  horse's  working  life.  The  nar- 
row stall  in  which  a  horse  is  obliged  to  tuck  his  legs  in 
under  him,  is  a  torture  and  the  curse  of  the  American 
horses.  With  short  legs  and  deep  brisket  the  English 
hunter  would  deteriorate  as  a  hunter,  for  he  could  not 
take  the  leaps  he  does  now.  The  short-legged,  thick-set 
horse  is  tough,  hardy,  durable  and  strong,  but  the  place 
to  set  himself  off  to  advantage  is  not  in  taking  a  five-foot 
wall  or  five-barred  iron  gate. 


EASTERN    HORSES.  87 

The  deep  chest  and  short  legs  for  cavalry  marches  in 
India,  and  taking  cross  country  as  it  comes  in  England 
and  Ireland,  are  very  different  things.  Length  and 
power  of  limb  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  body  are 
necessary  in  taking  great  leaps,  and  for  heavy  riding 
through  plowed  fields.  A  long  leg  is  not  a  sign  of  weak- 
ness, as  Nolan  has  it,  if  the  body  is  deep  in  proportion. 
The  difference  between  the  build  of  men  compared  with 
that  of  women  is  evidence  of  this.  The  man  is  intended 
for  strength  and  activity  ;  for  this,  his  body  is  short, 
shoulders  broad  and  legs  long;  while,  on  the  contrary, 
the  woman  has  a  long  body,  narrow  shoulders,  wide  hips 
and  short  legs.  The  woman  sits  higher  than  the  man, 
while  the  man  stands  higher  than  she  does.  Her  body  is 
long  and  large  to  facilitate  child-bearing  and  the  pro- 
duction of  nourishment  for  her  offspring ;  while  the 
man's  body  is  large  and  muscular,  and  placed  upon  long 
legs  to  give  him  lever  power.  If,  therefore,  according  to 
Nolan's  idea,  long  legs  are  a  sign  of  weakness,  the  whole 
structure  of  men  must  undergo  a  transformation  to  ren- 
der them  stronger  and  more  physically  serviceable.  But 
we  are  satisfied  with  the  English  horse  as  he  is,  and 
while  he  can  jump  and  carry  his  rider  over  six  feet  six 
inches  we  will  not  change  his  contour.  To  show  hov\^ 
fixed  nature  is  in  her  laws  in  this  respect,  a  man,  although 
half  a  woman,  never  partakes  of  her  peculiar  formation, 
because,  if  he  did,  he  would  be  rendered  useless  for  the 
purposes  for  which  he  was  physically  intended. 

No  length  or  size  is  a  sign  of  weakness  if  every  other  part 
is  in  proportion.  For  certain  purposes  we  must  always 
sacrifice  something.  If  these  two  horses  exchanged 
places,  countries  and  services,  both  might  be  failures.  If 
we  can  judge  of  the  build  of  the  horses  of  the  ancient 
Eomans  by  the  Koman  sculptures  and  pictures  we  see 
copied  from  paintings  on  walls,  and  the  numerous  hiero- 
glyphics on  mettle  and  stone,  the  horses  were  small  and 


88  THE    BRIDLE    BITS. 

sliort-legged,  for  the  rider's  legs  are  represented  hanging 
long  and  limp,  and  their  feet  far  below  the  horse's 
brisket.  This  is  the  build  of  the  Eastern  horse  that  the 
Eomaiis  imported  and  took  to  England  in  their  numer- 
ous invasions.  If  we  can  judge  by  these  pictures  there 
were  yery  inferior  horses,  or  yery  inferior  artists,  in  those 
days,  compared  with  those  of  the  present  time.  But, 
howeyer  that  may  be,  the  horses  are  all  represented  with 
their  heads  well  bridled  in  with  arched  crests  and  their 
chins  on  their  necks,  which  indicates  the  nature  and 
power  of  the  bit  then  in  use.  Ko  doubt  that  on  the  fre- 
(juent  invasions  of  Great  Britain  bv  the  Romans,  durino^ 
hundreds  of  years,  many  disabled  horses  were  left  behind, 
which  the  Britain,  with  his  natural  propensity  and  pecu- 
liar scientific  ability  was  not  slow  to  improve — an  advantage 
which,  when  combined  with  good  stock  to  start  with,  and 
a  genial  and  favorable  climate,  contributed  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  English  horse  as  he  is  to-day,  and  his  pecu- 
liar abilities  have  given  rise  to  the  national  equestrian 
sports,  not  equaled  in  any  other  land.  The  Englisli 
horse  is  like  his  countryman — very  well  while  his  belly  is 
full,  well-shod  and  cared  for,  and  within  convenient  dis- 
tance of  feed  and  water  ;  but  that  he  can  compete  with 
the  mustang  in  lassoing  bulls  and  bears,  carrying  a  man 
half  his  weight  on  his  back  some  twenty  leagues  a  day, 
without  shoes,  food  or  water,  fight  a  mad  bull  in  a  bull 
ring,  and  run  at  nearly  full  speed  against  a  stone  wall 
and  stop  short  without  killing  himself,  we  simply  deny, 
without  giving  any  opinion  on  the  subjecc,  for  opinions 
and  facts  have  no  connection  with  each  other. 

The  Eastern  bit,  therefore,  while  it  is  most  effective  in 
handling  the  small,  active  horses  for  which  it  was  de- 
signed, is  powerless  to  take  such  action  and  feats  out  of 
our  English  breed  of  horses,  simply  on  account  of  their 
size  and  weight,  and  the  equine  feats  peculiar  to  the 
British  Isles  and  the  Euglish  people.     Captain  Nolan 


THE    MULE    BIT.  89 

redeems  himself  by  contradicting,  without  seeming  to 
mean  it,  what  he  says  of  the  English  horse  in  comparing 
him  with  the  small  Eastern  animal  ;  but  both  he  and  Sir 
George  Cox  are  of  the  same  equestrian  school.  While 
one  considers  the  English  horse  superior  to  all  others  in 
every  quality,  the  other  says  '^  it  is  wrong-headedness  to 
shoe  horses  at  all  in  any  country,"  and  refers  to  the  per- 
formances of  Xenophon*'s  on  the  plains  of  Babylon,  and 
a  Massachusetts  lunatic,  in  support  of  his  assertion.  So 
that  men  of  broad  and  practical  knowledge  and  experi- 
ence in  equestrian  matters  would  consider  their  opinions 
worthless  on  those  two  subjects. 


CHAPTER    IX. 
THE  MULE  BIT. 

The  mule  bit  for  cruelty  is  a  specialty  in  Mexico,  and 
for  its  severity  the  Mexicans  or  Spanish  race  is  entitled 
to  the  palm.  It  is  a  ring  bit  and  the  arch  in  the  bar, 
with  the  tags  suspended  therefrom,  is  the  same  as  the 
Mexican  ring  bit  (fig.  26)  illustrated  in  Chapter  A^II.  Its 
extra  severity  consists  in  having  a  joint  or  hinge  where 
the  bars  join  the  guards,  which  are  fiat.  It  is  used  with 
a  siusfle  rein  and  one  headstall.  About  ten  inches  of 
chain  is  fastened  to  each  end  of  the  rein  where  it  joins 
the  bit.  The  reins  are  generally  made  of  raw-hide,  and 
are  very  strong  and  durable.  Some  are  made  of  horse 
hair. 

The  mule,  more  than  any  of  the  other  saddle  animals, 
should  be  well  mouthed  and  carefully  trained  to  the  voice, 
and  taught  to  submit  more  to  moral  influence  than  to  the 
power  of  this  bit,  for  to  contend  with  his  natural  resist- 
ance and  untutored  strength  and  natural  stubborness  is 
a  source  of  perpetual  warfare  between  him  and  his  rider 


90  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

if  he  be  spoiled  in  handling.  We  have  seen  some  very 
well  mouthed  mules  in  Mexico.  Most  of  them  were  reg- 
iilar  saddle  mules  belonging  to  the  muleteers  who  kept 
pack  trains  on  the  roads  from  the  interior  to  the  coasts. 
These  animals  were  very  handsome  and  well  set  up  in  their 
carriage  and  style.  Prior  to  the  war  of  1847  with  the 
United  States,  mules  were  driven  a  great  deal  to  carriages 
by  the  wealthy  of  the  ^^  halls  of  the  Montezumas/*  and 
having  handsome  and  peculiar  harness,  made  expressly 
for  carriage  mules,  they  were  by  no  means  objectionable 
as  part  of  the  equipage — for,  Avith  their  long  ears,  well- 
arched  necks  and  cropped  manes,  they  attracted  consid- 
erable attention  from  visitors,  as  they  passed  in  review 
around  the  fountains  on  the  Paseos  and  beneath  the 
shades  of  the  Alamedas.  The  wealthv  vied  with  each 
other  in  selecting  and  driving  the  finest  mules  they  could 
obtain.  The  severe  mule  bit  was  dispensed  with  after 
the  teams  became  docile  and  familiar  with  the  Eno:lish 
carriage  bit,  under  the  influence  of  which  the  males 
made  a  very  handsome  appearance. 

But  things  and  fashions  don't  last  always,  for  at  the 
close  of  the  war  American  cavalry  and  artillery  horses 
were  disposed  of  and  found  their  way  into  cities,  where 
they  became  substitutes  for  mules  as  carriage  horses.  The 
mules,  however,  were  retained  by  those  wiio  could  afford 
to  keep  them  for  theatre-going,  and  thus  spare  their 
horses  the  chances  of  taking  cold  under  exposure  to  the 
drenching  showers  that  fall  during  the  nocturnal  hours 
in  the  rainy  season,  when  all  is  gayety  in  the  Capital, 
which  is  often  knee-deep  in  water  for  the  lack  of  sufficient- 
drainage.  The  cut  in  the  mountain,  although  long,  deep* 
and  wide,  is  not  low  enough  to  draw  off  the  filth  and  im- 
purities of  ages  from  the  city  sewers,,  and  hence  the  con- 
dition of  things  is  a  disgrace  to  the  nation.  We  like  the 
Spanish-American  people  for  their  good  common  sense, 
kind   and   social  dispositions,  personal  cleanliness,  and 


THE   MULE   BIT.  91 

genuine  civility  and  courteous  politeness  of  manner, 
which  seem  really  ingrain  and  national  in  all  ranks  ; 
but  from  want  of  domestic  convenience  and  proper  drain- 
age, their  habits,  in  general,  are  simply  indelicate  and 
abominable. 

THE    DOi^KET   BIT. 

The  bit  used  with  the  Mexican  burro  (donkey)  is  small, 
but  of  the  same  pattern  and  on  the  same  principle  as  the 
mule  bit.  This  discouraged  beast  is  sometimes  spared 
the  extra  torture  of  the  hinge,  and  the  little  patient  slave, 
not  much  larger  or  stronger  than  the  man  on  his  back, 
is  punched,  jerked  about  and  beaten  on  the  rump  and 
head  with  a  club  to  enforce  obedience  or  to  punish  him 
for  his  inability  or  refusal  to  carry  his  pack  or  submit  to 
the  most  cruel  class  of  men  on  earth  to  animals.  Roast- 
ing missionaries  is  a  mere  bagatelle  compared  to  the  bar- 
barity of  these  men  towards  their  domestic  beasts  of 
burden,  for  the  cannibal  has  something  to  gain  in  the 
prospect  of  a  good  meal,  while  the  burrero*  has  everything 
to  lose  by  clubbing  the  strength  and  spirit  out  of  the 
little  animal  that  falls  to  the  rear  in  his  train,  being  un- 
able to  keep  up  under  the  burden  of  his  pack,  already 
too  heavy  for  him  to  bear. 

AVe  were  once  riding  up  a  hill  near  Cerro  Gordo,  on 
the  national  road  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico.  In  advance 
there  was  a  freight  train  of  one  hundred  burros  winding 
up  the  hill.  The  freight  was  bar  iron,  cut  about  eighteen 
inches  long  for  convenience  in  packing  on  the  donkies. 
One  fine  jack  was  loaded  out  of  proportion  to  his  extra 
strength.  The  consequence  was  that  he  fell  back  in  the 
train  and  came  under  the  convenient  reach  of  the  burrero's 
murderous  club,  which,  if  hung  up  in  Mr,  Bergh's  office, 
would  eclipse  any  of  the  choice  selections  exposed  there  as 
samples  of  stable  furniture  for  the  accommodation  of  the 

♦Assd  river. 


93  THE   BKIPLE   BITS. 

equine  slave  in  inspiring  him  with  obedience  and  ability 
to  do  his  master's  work  and  will.  This  Mexican  savage 
in  human  form,  beat  and  clubbed  the  little  burro  first  on 
one  side  of  his  croup  till  he  almost  fell  over  ;  then  he 
beat  him  on  the  other  side  to  straighten  him  up  again, 
every  blow  of  the  club  weakening  him  the  more  till  at 
last  he  fell  down,  and,  being  at  the  mercy  of  the  savage, 
was  clubbed  on  the  head  and  neck,  which  he  vainly  tried 
to  keep  out  of  the  way. 

At  this  point,  when  patience  ceased  to  control  us,  and 
our  native  blood  was  at  fever  heat,  and  murder  seemed  a 
virtue  to  restraint,  in  saving  this  poor  little  helpless  ani- 
mal from  such  terrible  cruelty  and  abuse,  we  drew  our 
sword  and  charged  on  the  burrero  with  hostile  demon- 
strations, suf)plemented  by  language  more  effective  than 
elegant,  and  holding  the  glittering  steel  over  his  head, 
impatiently  demanded  instant  obedience  before  the  im- 
pending execution  of  our  threats  were  lavished  on  his 
miserable  pate.  Finding  himself  now  in  the  donkey's 
place,  he  tremblingly  obeyed  our  order  to  unload  the 
animal  and  let  him  rise.  We  made  him  distribute  part 
of  the  cargo  among  the  other  burros,  and  reloading  the 
victim  he  was  let  go,  when  he  ran  in  among  the  other 
burros  in  the  train  and  lagged  behind  no  more.  To  see 
that  he  did  not,  for  revenge,  repeat  the  abuse,  we  rode 
after  the  train  for  a  mile  or  two  till  the  savasre  cooled 
down.  It  is  a  curious  coincidence  that  one  resolute 
American  could  beat  fifteen  of  these  cowards,  while  one 
of  them  would  face  a  mad  bull  that  would  drive  twenty 
Americans  out  of  the  arena. 

In  traveling  in  Mexico  one  sees  many  opportunities 
for  practical  outbursts  of  justifiable  homicide.  If  our 
very  worthy  and  public  spirited  citizen,  Mr.  Henry  Bergh, 
should  visit  Mexico  and  the  homes  of  the  Aztecs,  he  would 
repent  of  ever  having  punished  a  man  m  his  native  State 
for  abuse  of  a  horse,  and  would  wish  that  he  had  reserved 


DRIVING   BITS.  93 

half  the  pains  and  penalties  for  the  Mexican  professionals, 
who  excel  all  competitors  in  this  class  of  athletic  exercise. 
"When  the  first  national  exhibition  is  held  in  the  capital 
of  that  fair  and  productive  country,  the  first  jiremium 
for  the  most  approved  style  of  cruelty  will  be  justly 
awarded  to  one  of  the  gallant  and  most  accomplished 
abusers  of  animals  in  that  favored  land. 


-•o»- 


CHAPTER    X. 

DRIVING  BITS. 

THE   BRIDOOK   BIT  WITH   RINGS. 

The  cut  below  illustrates  the  ordinary  bridoon  or  water- 
ing bit  used  in  common  with  cart,  car,  truck,  wagon, 


Fig.  27.— BRIDOON  BIT   WITH  KINGS. 

plow  and  cavalry  regulation  bit,  and  is  quite  mild  and 
harmless  in  its  general  application.  It  serves  as  a  mere 
check  to  hold  and  guide  the  horse  with  in  ordinary  work. 
It  can  be  w^orn  with  the  reins  thrown  over  the  hames  to 
gather  the  truck  horse's  head,  and  set  him  up  a  little  to 
appear  more  stylish.  The  heavy  Norman  and  Clydesdale 
breeds,  now  becoming  so  numerous  and  popular  in  this 
country,  are  so  elegantly  i:)roportioned  that  this  simple 
bit,  with  single  headstall,  and  rein  thrown  over  the 
hames,  serves  the  purpose  as  well  as  a  regular  check  rein 
with  bit  and  curb  used  on  the  most  stylish  carriage  horse. 
These  handsome  animals  are  so  elegantly  set  up  that  they 


94 


THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 


require  no  restraint  to  show  them  oS  by  use  of  check 
rein  ;  nature  has  saved  the  trouble,  at  least  in  many  that 
we  have  seen. 

Some  horses,  owing  to  their  natural  build  and  hang- 
dog appearance  and  disposition,  would  be  tortured  by 


Fig.  28.— SADDLE  HORSE. 

any  attempt  at  such  restraint  as  is  possible  with  even 
these  simple  bits,  and  to  try  to  make  them  appear  what 
they  are  not  invites  pity  and  criticism.  There  is  nothing 
they  look  well  in  outside  of  a  straw  yard,  a  plow  or  a  farm 
wagon,  for  all  attempts  to  brace  them  up  for  style  is  labor 
lost ;  and  although  high  prices  are  frequently  paid  for 
them  by  men  who  depend  on  the  seller  for  judgment  and 


Fio;.  29.— CARRIAGE   HORSE. 

praise,  they  are  nevertheless  low-priced  plugs,  fit  only  for 
common  hack  or  farm  use.  Central  Park  abounds  with 
them.  If  we  want  our  horses  to  look  well  and  appropri- 
ate in  harness  we  must  select  them  already  made  for  the 
purpose.     They  must  have  a  natural  carriage  to  begin 


THE   BRIDOON   BIT   WITH    RI:N'GS.  95 

with  ;  then  they  will  look  well  in  any  bridle,  without  its 
strain  or  use  to  set  them  up. 

ri,^nres  28,  29  and  30  represent  the  saddle,  carriage  and 
draft  horses,  and  no  amount  of  mouthing  and  training 
would  prepare  or  fit  them  for  each  other's  place,  in  ap- 
pearance or  adaptation,  excepting  the  light,  high-strung 
carriage  horse  that  would  suit  the  saddle  if  naturally 
adapted  in  all  respects.  But  to  pay  a  high  price  for  a 
plug,  stuff  him  with  hay  to  fill  the  harness  out,  bang  his 


Fig.  30. — DRAFT  HOKSE. 

tail  to  imitate  blood,  and  put  on  the  check  rein  and  curb 
to  make  believe  carriage  horse,  is  a  voluntary  piece  of 
self  deception  of  the  usual  kind,  that  creates  no  little 
amusement  among  the  initiated. 

It  is  w^ith  this  common  bridoon  bit  that  most  of  our 
horses  are  mouthed  and  broken  in,  and  in  the  absence 
of  the  regular  mouthing  bit  (fig.  1)  it  is  the  next  best  for 
the  purpose.  The  thicker  the  bars  the  better  for  young 
horses,  for  reasons  given  in  the  chapter  on  mouthing. 


96 


THE   BKIDLE   BITS. 


Fig.  31. — BRIDOON  BIT  WITH  HALF  GUARDS. 


CHAPTER    XI. 


THE  BRIDOON  BIT  WITH  HALF  GUARDS. 


The  above  cut  represents  the  bridoon  bit  with  half 
guards,  which  renders  it  a  compromise  between  the  snaf- 
fle and  the  common  bridoon  with  rings  only.  This  bit 
is  in  common  use  with  truck,  car  and  cart  horses.  The 
excuse  given  for  having  the  half  guards  to  prevent  the  bit 
from  being  drawn  through  the  month  is,  in  our  opinion, 
a  very  weak  one  for  its  adoption.  We  should  be  sorry  to 
drive  the  horse  or  hire  the  man  who  required  and  prac- 
ticed such  pulling  as  a  means  of  guidance  or  control. 
What  could  the  horse  be  doing  that  would  require  such 
hauling  ?  Such  a  driver  would  be  akin  to  the  Mexican 
burrero,  who  knows  no  moral  law  in  the  management  of 
a  beast  of  burden. 


THE   BKIDOOi^   BIT  WITH   DOUBLE   JOINT. 


y? 


CHAPTEE    XII. 

THE  BRIDOON  BIT  WITH  DOUBLE  JOINT  AND  HALF 

GUARDS. 

This  bit  was  originally  intended  for  use  in  the  British 
cavalry.  It  was  proposed  by  Captain  Nolan  and  recom- 
mended by  him  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the  curb 
bit.  Our  objection  to  it  for  general  use  is  owing  to  the 
great  quantity  of  iron  that  it  must  necessarily  add  to  that 
already  in  the  mouth.  It  is  the  watering  bit  over  again 
with  the  additional  objection  of  double  joints.  The  curb 
bit  is  used  with  it,  and  while  the  bridoon  itself  is  a  severe 


Fig.  32. — BRIDOON  BIT  WITB   DOUBLE  JOINT  AND  HALF  GUARDS, 

one  and  perhaps  necessary  with  some  horses,  we  should 
be  sorry  to  have  it  used  in  cavalry  regiments  as  a  regula- 
tion bit.  It  is  too  much.  The  double  joint  stretching 
alongside  of  the  bar  of  the  curb  bit  aci'oss  the  mouth,  is 
more  by  far  than  most  horses  require,  and  treating  all 
horses  alike  is  at  variance  with  good  judgment. 

This  bridoon,  when  used  wdth  its  fellow  curb  bit,  is  made 
to  slip  off  and  on  the  bridle  by  means  of  hooks  on  the  half 
guards  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  without  taking  the  head- 
stall off  the  horse.  We  decidedly  object  to  leaving  the 
headstall  on  while  feeding,  for  there  is  nothing,  not  even 
the  feed  itself,  more  agreeable  or  refreshing  to  the  cavalry 
or  any  other  horse  than  to  strip  him  of  everything  and  let 
him  roll.     The  matted  mane  and  forelock  on  his  sweated 


98 


THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 


head  and  neck  should  be  exposed  to  the  sun  and  air  and 
allowed  to  dry,  and  the  saddle  should  be  taken  off  and 
his  back,  that  is  scalded  by  the  sweat  and  heat  of  the 
saddle  and  man  on  it,  rubbed  and  dried,  the  blanket 
opened,  dried  and  folded  anew,  and  then  all  put  on  again. 
This  is  refreshing,  and  gives  the  horse  renewed  life  and 
T  igor. 

THE   COMMOK   SXAFELE   BIT. 

The  common  single  snaffle  bit  (see  fig.  7,  page  31) 
for  single  or  double  buggy  harness,  is  the  same  as  the 
bridoon  with  the  exception  of  the  guards,  and  was  orig- 
inally and  is  still  used  on  the  saddle-horse,  while  the 
bridoon  with  plain  rings  was  always  used  alone  or  in 
common  with  a  carriage  harness  bit,  or  the  curb  bit  for 
riding.  (See  bit-and-bridoon,  fig.  17.)  For  the  light 
buggy  horse  and  harness,  and  headstall  without  blinds,  it 


Fk".  B3.  — PLAIN  SNAFFLE. 

is  a  most  desirable  piece  of  stable  furniture.  Being  the 
king  of  hunting  bits,  it  can  never  be  dispensed  with  in 
the  well  selected  stock  and  well  furnished  harness  room  m 
which  so  many  men  take  pride.  But  from  want  of  prac- 
tical experience  and  long  use,  amateurs  don't  see  ^Mvhy 
one  bit  is  not  as  good  as  another  and  a  great  deal  better." 
Figure  33  represents  the  position  of  the  joint  of  the 
bars  on  the  tons^ue.    The  close  observer  will  examine  the 


THE   DOUBLE-JOINTED   SNAFFLE   BIT. 


99 


tongue  and  sides  of  the  mouth  to  see  if  the  pincliing 
process  of  the  single  joint  has  any  bad  or  irritating  effect 
on  the  tongue  or  mouth,  and  if  the  horse  takes  to  it 
clieerfully,  after  a  httle  use. 


-K>*- 


Fig.  34. — DOUBLE  JOINTED  SNAFFLE  BIT. 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE  DOUBLE-JOINTED  SNAFFLE  BIT. 

The  double-jointed  snaffle  bit  for  hard  pullers  would 
be  a  safe  bit  to  use,  but  what  effect  it  would  have  could 
not  be  known  without  a  trial.  Some  horses  might  like 
it  and  go  well  with  it,  while  it  might  irritate  others  and 


Fig.  35. — DOUBLE-JOINTED  SNAFFLE. 

promote  a  disposition  to  run  away  with  it — for,  while  ca 
bit  may  have  certain  and  unmistakable  properties,  its 
effect  upon  the  moral  of  the  horse  may  be  anything  but 


100 


THE   BKIDLE   BITS. 


Tvhat  we  desire,  and  besides,  in  action  it  might  not  have 
the  effect  desired.  All  we  can  say  in  its  favor  is,  as  we 
say  of  all  bits — try  it.  It  is  a  compromise  between  the 
single-jointed  snaffle  and  the  bar  bit — for,  when  both  reins 


Fig.  36.— PANTOGRAPH  SNATFLE. 


Fig.  37. — PANTOGRAPH  IN  ACTION. 


are  equally  drawn,  the  bar  link  in  the  centre  (which  is 
one-third  of  the  iron  in  the  mouth)  is  square  across  the 
mouth,  while  the  two  wings  are  drawn  back  on  the 
corners  of  the  mouth  with  a  j)ressure  that  may  tend  to 
either  madden  or  subdue  (fig.  35). 

The  double-barred  snaffle,  as  shown  in  figure  36,  is  a 
severe  one  and  designed  to  master  a  hard  puller  or  a  horse 
disposed  to  take  the  bit  in  his  teeth  and  run  away  with 


Fig.  38. — ^DOUBLE-BARBED  SNAFFLE  IN  USE. 

it.  It  operates  in  the  mouth  on  the  pantograph  principle 
with  double  converging  action  (fig.  37).  Its  severity  can 
be  doubled  by  crossing  the  bars,  thus  having  the  end  of 
the  long  under-bar  join  the  left-hand  guard  below  the 


THE   DOUBLE- JOINTED   SKAFFLE   BIT.  101 

short  bar,  as  in  figure  39,  while  in  figure  37  both  ends  of 
each  bar  are  on  the  upper  or  lower  side,  where  they 
join  the  guards  and  when  in  operation  make  less  bulk 
in  the  mouth,  and  consequently  are  less  severe.  Before 
usina-  either  of  these  bits  it  should  be  well  considered 
whether  or  uot  the  horse  needs  it. 

Figure  38  represents  the  position  of  a  double-barred 
snaffle  bit  in  the  mouth,  with  the  bar  joints  across  the 


Fig.  39. — DOUBLY  SEVERE. 

tongue.  The  pinching  process  of  the  draw  on  the  bit  as 
it  closes  to  the  strain  on  the  reins,  is  more  severe  than  that 
of  the  single-jointed  snaffle,  for  the  angles  of  the  bars  of 
the  double  joint  with  the  line  of  the  back  teeth  being 
less,  the  power  to  hold  or  swallow  the  bit  is  reduced. 

THE    WIRE   SXAFFLE   BIT. 

Some  of  these  fancy  snaffles  are  made  of  twisted  wire, 
which,  being  thin,  sharp  and  rough,  are  severe  and  cut 
the  mouth,  rendering  it  callous  and  hard  ;  consequently 
it  causes  the  horse  to  keep  a  severe  strain  on  the  reins, 
and  whether  it  be  single  or  double-jointed,  and  he  should 
swallow  it,  a  few  chucks  and  a  saw  will  make  an  ordinary 
puller  let  go.  It  is  a  fancy  bit  worthy  of  only  a  junk- 
shop.  But  the  objection  we  have  to  all  extra  iron  in  the 
mouth,  is  that  double  bits  of  any  kind  interfere  with  the 
horse's  wind  while  at  work,  either  in  harness  or  under 


102  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

the  saddle.  It  is  likely  that  the  inventor  of  the  wire  bit 
had  one  or  two  objects  in  view  when  he  made  it,  namely, 
strength  and  economy,  and  wire  to  spare.  Strength,  in 
having  the  greatest  power  in  the  smallest  possible  sub- 
stance ;  economy,  in  his  being  able  to  make  it  himself 
without  forging  or  costing  anything  for  material — so  that, 
as  regards  its  mercantile  value,  it  could  be  sold,  at  a 
profit,  for  three  cents. 

But  whatever  the  material,  when  well  driven  with  a 
plain  snaffle  bit,  having  double  guards  and  hung  to  a  plain 
headstall  without  blinds,  the  buggy  horse  is  the  most 
fortunate  and  should  be  the  happiest  of  harness  horses. 


Fiff.  40.— WIRE   SNAFFLE   BIT. 


'(-> 


for  the  vehicle  he  draws  is  the  lightest,  his  harness  the 
thinnest,  his  bit  (should  be)  the  mildest,  and  his  work  the 
easiest  of  all.  In  fact  he  need  not  know  he  is  in  harness, 
and  if  his  driver  be  as  considerate  toward  his  favorite  ab- 
sorber of  ice-cream,  attentions  and  flowers,  as  he  should 
be  toward  his  horse,  we  do  not  know  but  that  it  is  the 
most  complete,  perfect  and  agreeable  equipage  in  exist- 
ence. The  feelings  between  horse  and  driver  being  mut- 
ual and  undivided,  the  voice  is  heard  and  heeded,  and 
is  always  music  and  a  charm  to  ^'the  listening  ear,  the 
silent  tongue  and  tlie  faithful  heart."  And  when  we 
consider  that  "  the  ox  knoweth  his  owner  and  the  ass  his 
master's  crib,"  the  horse,  though  not  named  in  this  con- 
nection, is  not  exempt  from  his  due  share  of  the  glory 


THE   BAR   BIT. 


103 


and  available  instincts  accorded  him  in  many  passages  in 
the  scriptures — for  he  is  spoken  of  in  Holy  Writ  as  being 
a  necessary  figure  in  St.  John's  description  of  the  glories 
of  another  world,  while  he  continues  to  hold  his  own  in 
this. 


-»<>•- 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  BAR  BIT. 


The  plain  bar  bit  has  a  history  of  its  own.  In  the 
early  days  of  our  trotting  record  of  "2:40,"  handed  down 
in  both  prose  and  song,  it  was  used  with  strong  pullers. 


Fig.  41.— BAR  BIT. 

purposely  trained  to  pull  the  buggy  or  the  driver  out  of 
it  by  the  bit.  For  this  purpose  it  was  preferred  for  its 
strength,  and  according  to  the  disposition  of  the  horse  to 
pull  and  have  his  own  way,  it  was  rendered  all  the  more 
severe  by  having  several  spiral  twists  with  sharp  ridges 
from  end  to  end  of  the  bar,  so  that  by  sawing  it  the 
horse  should  let  go.  In  those  days  the  trotting  horse 
was  trained  to  pull  the  buggy  by  the  bit  more  than  by  the 
traces — Avhich  would  not  be  much  of  a  pull  now-a-days, 
when  the  weight  and  size  of  the  buggy,  and  comfort  of 
sitting  in  it,  have  been  reduced  in  proportion.  The  buggy 
of  the  present  time  is  so  narrow  that,  when  we  see  two 


104 


THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 


men  in  one,  tlie  driver  and  the  driven,  sitting  side  by 
side,  the  driven  is  obliged  to  hold  on  to  the  rail  behind 
the  driver  with  his  inside  hand  to  keep  from  falling  out, 
while  the  tails  of  his  coat,  for  which  there  is  no  room  on 
the  seat,  float  in  the  passing  air  like  an  ^'old  clo'"  sign 
in  a  second-hand  Jew  shop. 

No  wonder  that  rotund  widows  have  ceased  to  enjoy 
themselves  in  buggy  airings,  an  exercise  that  gave  their 
mothers  such  pleasure  in  good  old  times  of  spacious 
rooms  and  ample  buggy  seats,  which  had  more  room  for 
three  than  the  parvenu  papier  maclie  packing  boxes  of 
the  present  day  have  for  two.     The  bar  bit  was  used  for 


Fig.  42.— PACKING  BOX  BUGGY. 

a  three-fold  purpose — that  of  holding  the  horse,  steady- 
ing him  in  the  trot,  and  pulling  the  bnggy.  The  prac- 
tice has  been  handed  down  in  a  direct  line  from  other 
generations  (patrons  of  the  old  Spirit  of  the  Times  of 
Porter  and  Richards'  days')  to  the  present  time,  and 
is  followed  up  under  the  influence  of  a  greater  variety  of 
bits  with  more  or  less  success  in  individual  cases.  The 
idea  was  that  a  horse  was  less  apt  to  throw  np  his  head 
and  break  under  the  whip,  while  the  steady  draft  was  on 
his  under-jaw,  if  he  was  purposely  trained  to  it. 

The  loo])s  on  the  reins  to  hold  on  by  served  as  substi- 
tutes for  traces,  and  the  practice   of  setting  the  feet 


THE  BAR  BIT.  105 

against  the  bar,  and  holding  the  arms  out  at  full  length, 
as  we  have  it  still,  is  peculiarly  American,  and  owing  to 
common  custom  has  become  so  general  with  buggy-horse 
fanciers  and  ''fasty"  women,  that  the  majority  of  people 
think  it  fashionable  and  just  the  thing,  or  at  least  make 
it  so  by  adopting  it.  It  is  ridiculous  to  see  both  men  and 
women  leaning  back  with  feet  hard  pressed  against  the 
foot-bar,  and  both  arms  stretched  out  full  length,  as  if 
they  were  hauling  in  a  moss-bunker  fishing  net.  However 
necessary  this  style  may  be  in  trials  of  speed  on  the  track, 
it  is  certainly  a  very  unseemly  and  useless  position  for 
either  sex  to  assume  in  driving  for  pleasure  and  notoriety. 
The  excuse  is  that  'Mt  is  our  way  of  driving,  as  you  have 
yours."  Well,  if  that  were  the  rule  in  all  things,  pro- 
fessors in  refined  arts  had  better  Avithdraw  and  allow  the 
clown  to  have  his  way.  If  the  *'plebe"  manifesting  it- 
self on  the  horse,  by  having  the  bridle  band  stretched 
out  over  the  withers,  be  all  right  because  ^'  it  is  our  way" 
of  holding  the  reins,  there  is  perhaps  no  reason  why  the 
same  rule  should  not  hold  good  behind  him. 

Equestrian  schools  turn  out  their  pupils  with  more 
knowledge  than  practice.  They  know  what  to  do,  but 
don't  know  how,  when  or  where  to  do  it.  The  school, 
therefore,  instead  of  being  concealed,  is  seen  in  every 
actiou,  and  the  efforts  to  succeed  attract  more  ridicule 
than  the  neglect  of  them.  If  a  woman's  arms  are  weak, 
she  should  use  a  powerful  bit  and  keep  her  arms  down. 
The  notoriety  she  gains  by  having  them  stretched  out,  is 
not  becoming  or  agreeable  to  a  woman  envious  of  refined 
and  retiring  habits.  Were  we  treating  the  subject  of 
horsewomanship,  instead  of  that  of  the  use  of  the  bit,  we 
might  give  some  valuable  hints  to  ladies  who  would 
rather  be  admired  for  their  ease  and  skill  in  handling  the 
reins  than  of  being  noticed  for  their  awkwardness  and  in- 
efficiency in  their  management  of  the  horse.  The  ease  and 
style  of  the  horse  adds  to  the  grace  of  the  rider,  and  to 


106  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

accomplish  this  we  must  use  and  handle  him  with  grace 
and  skill. 

We  have  no  doubt  but  that  a  hard  puller,  if  pressed  to 
his  speed,  will  drive  steadier  with  a  bar  bit  in  a  steady 
hand  than  with  any  other  under  the  same  circumstances, 
if  trained  to  it.  But  with  or  without  rules,  it  is  impos- 
sible for  a  stranger  to  advise  what  to  do  with  a  spoiled 
horse  without  trying  him.  Experiments  wiih  bits  of 
various  powers  and  qualities,  by  an  experienced  person, 
is  the  only  course  to  pursue.  But  the  mouth  that  is 
trained  to  pull  the  buggy  by  the  bit,  is  spoiled  for  a 
woman's  hand,  and  should  not  be  entrusted  to  her  skill 
alone.  Sometimes  one  runaway  is  enough  for  a  life-time. 
There  is  nothing  more  uncertain  than  the  end  of  a  good 
runaway,  95  2:)er  cent,  of  which  accidents  are  the  result  of 
ignorance  or  carelessness  of  the  driver ;  he  is  not  likely  to 
have  presence  of  mind  to  observe  rules,  or  to  know  what 
or  how  to  do  in  the  fright  and  excitement  of  a  dynamite 
dash  for  life.  When  a  horse  is  before  wheels  nothing,  if 
possible,  should  be  left  to  chance.  It  is  bad  enough  to 
risk  the  bit  and  reins,  the  strength  of  which  is  sometimes 
the  only  barrier  between  a  whole  family  and  death.  But 
to  risk  women  and  children  with  a  bad  or  inexperienced 
driver,  or  an  uncertain  or  strange  horse,  or  a  bit  that 
won't  hold  him,  is  placing  too  much  reliance  on  luck. 
We  were  once  in  a  Long  Island  train  of  cars,  when  a 
horse  in  a  buggy,  on  a  road  at  right  angles  with  the  rail- 
road, ran  away,  and  meeting  the  locomotive  on  the  track 
it  cut  the  horse  loose  from  the  buggy  and  the  whole  train 
ran  between  it  and  the  horse,  and  while  the  former  was 
broken  in  pieces,  the  horse  and  the  girl  escaped.  She 
had  the  wrong  bit. 

The  use  of  the  mouthing  bit  (fig.  1)  is  to  gradually 
teacb  the  horse  submission  to  all  ordinary  bits,  without 
using  force,  for  when  we  ride  or  drive  out  for  pleasure, 
we  do  not  propose  to  contend  with  our  horse  in  a  trial  of 


THE   BAR   BIT.  107 

muscular  strength  ;  and  in  the  event  of  a  defeat  on  our 
part,  run  foul  of  another  team,  or  be  dashed  against  a 
lamp-post  and  left  dead  or  seated  among  the  splinters  of 
a  wrecked  vehicle  with  broken  bones.  These  are  all  pos- 
sibilities, and  such  catastrophies  are  not  infrequent. 
They  can  be  traced  to  one  or  two  causes  :  The  driver, 
being  a  stranger,  tlie  horse  takes  fright,  and  not  knoAv- 
ing  the  voice,  or  the  driver  not  knowing  what  to  say  that 
the  horse  understands  to  be  controlled,  takes  flight ;  or, 
second,  the  mouth  being  hard  and  the  bit  or  the  arm 
powerless  to  hold  him  in  before  he  gets  under  full  head- 
way, the  horse  becomes  his  own  master.  A  few  winters 
ago  an  occurrence  like  this  took  place  in  Brooklyn.  A 
lady  was  in  a  carriage  on  her  way  to  the  Fulton  Ferry. 
On  crossing  Myrtle  Avenue  near  the  City  Hall,  the  horses 
took  fright  and  ran  down  the  hill  to  the  East  River  and 
plunged  into  the  slip,  where  the  horses,  carriage  and  i^as- 
senger  went  to  the  bottom,  the  ice  closing  over  them, 

The  heavy  smell  of  some  men  is  very  objectionable  to 
some  horses,  and  they  kick  at  and  run  away  with  them 
without  any  apparent  cause.  We  should,  therefore,  have 
reins  and  bit  fit  and  ready  for  any  emergency,  and  not 
expose  lives  to  the  risk  of  the  common  expression,  '^  Oh, 
there's  no  danger."  But  as  that  don't  stop  runaway 
horses,  repair  the  broken  vehicle,  nor  restore  life  or  limb, 
we  recommend  timely  preventives.  There's  always  dan- 
ger on  wheels,  either  in  meeting  or  following  others,  and 
although  the  best  driver  cannot  always  foresee  the  danger 
from  other  horses  running  away,  he  can  always  prevent 
accidents  or  control  his  own  in  a  dash  or  attempt  at  a 
runaway. 

A  gentleman  who  has  been  an  owner  of  horses  all  his 
life  was  kind  enough  to  sliow  us  his  favorite  buggy  horse, 
of  which  he  was  very  proud,  for  in  temper,  disposition 
and  style  he  was  all  that  a  man  could  expect  in  one  horse, 
and  the  only  faults  we  had  to  find  with  him  (in  our  mind) 


108  THE    BEIDLE    BITS. 

were  two — one,  his  makers,  and  the  other,  his  feeders.  Bnt 
as  it  is  very  difficult  to  find  horses  and  owners  perfect, 
we  are  not  disposed  to  find  fault.  Our  friend  took  the 
trouble  to  j^ut  on  a  new  style  of  bit  and  nose  band  with 
crest  strap  (fig.  43),  in  which  he  said  liis  horse  went  well, 
and  he  thought  it  was  an  imj^rovement  and  peculiarly 
adapted  to  his  horse's  mouth  and  temper.  This  kind  of 
torture  is  getting  quite  fashionable  now,  even  on  spans  of 
buggy  horses,  whether  needed  or  not ;  but  of  course  horses 
must  be  made  to  look  alike  by  having  the  harness  uniform 
in  appearance.  But  the  advantage  he  claimed  was  contrary 
to  our  ideas  of  bitting  a  buggy  horse.     His  taking  to  it 


Fig.  43.— CREST  STRAP  BIT. 


'o 


was  the  deception.  The  horse  knew"  and  loved  his  owner, 
and  consequently  submitted  cheerfully  to  anything  he 
did.  We  know  what  influence  we  have  over  every  living 
thing  that  loves  us,  and  what  power  and  control  we  have 
over  their  wills,  actions  and  destinies  ;  but,  by  submitting, 
it  is  not  always  admitting  that  our  influences  are  right 
and  used  to  the  advantas^e  of  the  influenced.  And  in 
this  connection  our  friend's  horse  was  willing  to  submit 
to  anything,  and  he  might  as  well,  for  the  same  reason 
that  the  culprit  submits  to  the  hanging  process. 

Such  mutual  knowledge  and  friendship  as  exists  be- 
tween a  man  and  his  horse  should  suggest  the  possibility 
of  diminishing  instead  of  adding  instruments  of  torture 


THE   BAR  BIT.  109 

and  restraint,  especially  when  the  additions  are  attended 
with  unnecessary  complications  in  the  mouth,  and  the 
forced  position  and  carriage  of  his  head  and  neck  that 
are  another's,  not  his.  What  areear  s  and  eyes  given 
horses  for  if  not  to  make  use  of  them,  and  spare  them  as 
much  as  possible  the  necessity  of  instrumental  manage- 
ment ?  Why  go  to  the  expense  or  trouble  of  having  a 
veterinary  surgeon's  certificate  that  your  intended  pur- 
chase is  sound  in  sight,  wind  and  limb,  if,  when  you  use 
the  horse,  you  put  blinds  on  him  to  blind  him  ? — Put  him 
in  a  narrow  stall  so  that  when  he  lies  down,  tired  after  a 
hard  drive  and  in  a  cold  sweat,  he  is  obliged  to  bend  his 


Fig.  44.— CREST  STRAP  STYLE. 

knees  and  tuck  his  feet  up  under  his  brisket  and  let  his 
legs  cool  in  a  crooked  position  and  thus  give  him  sprung 
knees  ? — Tie  and  curb  him  up  in  a  position  foreign  to 
his  formation  and  then  drive  him  off  his  wind  ? — Save 
oats  and  fill  him  up  with  hay  to  show  off  your  harness  ? — 
Drive  him  to  the  stable  in  a  lather  of  sweat  and  let  him 
stand  there  and  dry  as  best  he  may  ? — Cut  his  tail  off  and 
then  hire  a  small  boy  with  an  impromptu  cat-o'-nine- 
tails to  brush  the  flies  off  and  keep  him  from  running 
away  and  save  the  auctioneer's  guarantee  ? — Stuff  him 
with  hay  and  run  him  off  his  wind  ? — Drive  your  best 
girl  out  and  leave  your  horse  in  a  sweat,  tied  to  a  fence 
till  he  chills,  while  you  enjoy  your  hot  drinks  and  favor- 
ite's smiles  by  a  good  fire,  and  then  complain  to  the 


110  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

veterinary  that  the  horse  is  delicate,  that  your  other 
horse  don't  take  cold  that  way  ? — Put  a  strange  bit  in  his 
mouth,  that  he  is  not  used  to,  and  when  he  runs  away, 
banof  ao^ainst  another  team,  and  takes  the  wheels  off  in 
the  most  approved  style  in  imitation  of  the  last  occur- 
rence, sue  the  owner  of  the  target  shot  into,  for  damages  ? 
Before  this  book  goes  to  press  we  would  like  to  hear  the 
answers  to  these  questions  and  give  them  for  what  they 
are  worth  for  the  benefit  of  equine  arts  and  sciences. 

In  using  these  new-fangled  tortures,  that  unfortunately 
don't  come  under  the  legal  head  of  cruelty  or  abuse,  the 
cultivation  of  the  morals  of  the  horse,  through  the  ear,  is 
ignored,  yet  if  an  instrument  were  invented  with  a  similar 
double  action  as  perfect  as  that  of  a  horse's  ear,  a  patent 
would  be  claimed  and,  if  issued  and  science  advanced,  great 
benefits  might  follow  its  adoption.  But,  like  other  bless- 
ings lavished  on  us  by  Dame  Nature  for  our  convenience, 
we  become  so  much  accustomed  to  their  use  we  fail  to 
see  their  advantages  or  to  adojot  a  system  of  education 
and  practice  in  rendering  their  utility  a  benefit  to  our 
immediate  purposes.  We  will  allow  that  the  voice  is 
used  by  some  men  in  managing  horses,  but  the  practice 
is  so  rare  that  we  look  on  with  great  interest  when  we  see 
a  horse  subservient  to  the  voice  of  his  driver.  Were 
the  practice  more  general  and  reduced  to  a  custom,  there 
would  be  nothing  more  singular  in  it  than  there  is  in 
driving  oxen  by  the  orders  that  every  farm  hand  knows 
so  well.  If  the  same  v/ords  were  used  by  everybody  who 
owned  or  handled  horses,  so  that  in  changing  drivers  the 
horse  would  understand  what  was  said,  there  would  be 
no  trouble  about  his  management  without  the  constant 
use  of  the  bridle.  If  this  system  be  successful  in  the 
army,  where  any  military  officer  can  drill  any  regiment, 
and  any  mule  driver  can  drive  any  mule  team,  is  there  any 
valid  reason  why  the  horse,  in  his  peculiar  service,  could 
not  be  managed  in  the  same  way  with  equal  facility  ?    If 


THE   BAR    BIT.  HI 

the  voice  is  familiar  to  a  horse,  he  readily  obeys  a  partial 
whisper.  It  cannot  be  denied,  therefore,  that  an  animal 
like  the  horse,  so  intelligent  and  ready  to  serve  with  the 
greatest  patience,  could  be  relieved  of  a  great  deal  of  un- 
necessary pulling  and  hauling,  if  the  sense  of  the  owner 
were  of  as  high  an  order  as  the  instincts  of  his  horse, 
to  enable  him  to  take  advantage  of  his  hearing  faculty. 

Before  dismissing  this  subject,  we  would  remind  the 
reader  that  the  hearing  of  animals  of  a  timid  nature,  such 
as  the  hare,  deer,  antelope,  kangaroo,  etc.  (that  have  no 
offensive  or  defensive  means,  and  whose  only  safety  is  in 
flight),   is  very  acute.      All  animals  having  their  ears 
close  together  are  timid,  with  acute  sense   of  hearing. 
The  horse  is  one  of  this  class,  and  it  is  surprising  to 
know  how  he  can  discern  the  articulation  of  a  familiar 
voice  at  almost  the  lowest  whisper.    The  loud  voice,  that 
can  be  heard  500  yards  off,  is  unnecessary  and  confusing 
to  horses,  but  it  is  all  of  a  piece  with  the  mistaken  idea 
of  bawling  at  the  slightly  deaf  and  to  persons  speaking 
another  language.     The  louder  the  voice  the  more  diffi- 
cult for  some  to  understand  what  is  said,  for  the  articu- 
lation is  smothered  up  in  sound.     The  Indian  can  hear 
the  grass  grow,  yet  the  practice  is  to  bawl  at  him  as  if 
noise  was  equal  to  an  interpreter.    If  the  uninitiated  only 
knew  how  low  and  gentle  is  their  natural  colloquial  tone, 
and  how  low  it  is  in  their  tribal  councils,  they  would  be 
surprised  to  find  that  a  whisper  would  suffice,  and  this 
would  equally  serve  the  horse.    Even  to  each  other,  most 
people  speak  too  loud  or  pitch  the  key  too  high.     The 
Spanish  language  as  spoken  by  the  Mexican  Indians  is  very 
sweet  and  agreeable,  but  that  by  the  Cubans  is  horrible. 
The  ox  is  guided,  controlled  and  used  entirely  by  the 
voice,  and  it  is  surprising  to  see  how  he  understands 
several  different  and  contrary  orders  given  at  tlie  same 
time,  patiently  listening  for  more  while  he  obeys  the 
first. 


112 


THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

BAR    BITS,    STRAIGHT   AND  CURVED,  WITH  LIVER- 
POOL SLIDE. 

These  bits,  figures  45  and  46,  with  straight  and  curved 
bars,  are  on  the  Liverpool  slide  principle  and  operate  on 
the  jointless  Pelham  plan,  but  differ  in  construction. 
The  advantage  claimed  for  this  kind  of  bar  bit,  with  the 
slide,  is  that  the  bar,  where  the  guards  pass  through  the 
end  of  it,  plays  or  slips  up  and  down  with  a  fall  of  about 
half  an  inch,  which  eases  the  mouth,  when  the  reins  are 


Fig.  45. 


-LIVEHPOOI-  BIT. 


Fig-.  40.— LIVERPOOL  SLIDE. 


slackened,  by  letting  the  bit  slip  down  from  the  pressure 
on  the  corners  of  the  mouth.  This  improvement,  by  way 
of  relief,  is  reasonable,  but  the  amount  of  ease  it  might 
afford  would  depend  on  the  horse's  style  and  carriage. 
If  a  horse  carries  a  very  high  head  the  pull  on  the  reins 
would  be  downwards  and  the  bar,  instead  of  being  drawn 
upward,  would  be  drawn  downward;  and  unless  there  was 
a  check  rein  used  there  would  be  very  little  strain  on  the 
reins  in  ordinary  driving  to  affect  the  slide. 

T]ie  check  rein  at  A  would  draw  the  bit  up  on  the 
slide,  while  the  rein  at   B  would  draw  it  up  or  down, 


BAR   BITS,    STRAIGHT   AND   CURVED.  113 

according  to  the  way  the  horse's  neck  is  set  on  his  shoul- 
ders. If  he  be  a  poke,  the  strain  is  great  on  the  upward 
tendency  of  the  bar,  while,  if  he  carries  his  head  in  the 
air,  there  is  no  strain  at  all  upwards,  but  rather  down- 
wards by  the  reins.  The  lower  the  head,  therefore,  the 
greater  tlie  strain — the  higher,  the  less.  The  yirtue  of 
the  slide  depends  wholly  on  the  horse's  style  and  the 
character  of  his  action  ;  and  to  use  it  indiscriminately, 
whether  suitable  or  not,  because  everybody  does  it,  is  an 
evidence  of  a  want  of  experience  and  judgment,  and  a 
liberty  with  common  sense.  We  would  say,  however, 
that  if  a  crowbar  were  used  as  a  bit  there  would  be  some 
*^ patent"  contrivance  invented  to  ease  the  horse's  mouth 
from  any  possible  tortures  it  inflicted,  and  we  would  be 
decidedly  in  favor  of  the  contrivance.  It  is  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  attack  and  defence  in  gunnery — so  far  the 
defence  has  it ;  we  wish  it  were  so  with  the  poor,  sub- 
missive horse. 

For  general  use  this  bar  bit  has  no  other  desirable 
feature  besides  the  action  of  the  slide  for  the  horse  it 
suits,  and  pulling  the  vehicle  by  it  instead  of  by  the 
traces,  which  by  some  horse  fanciers  is  considered  an 
accomplishment.  The  tendency  there  is  in  this  age  to 
get  up  something  new  to  gain  financially  by  novelty  what 
cannot  be  gained  by  superiority,  is  very  great,  and  in  the 
equestrian  sphere  it  is  patronized  by  both  the  ignorant 
and  uninitiated,  who,  having  no  experience  of  their  own, 
use. certain  bits  because  everybody  else  does.  To  satisfy 
the  patrons  of  new  inventions  it  is  a  pity  that  horses 
could  not  have  more  heads,  so  that  the  owner  of  only  one 
horse  could  encourage  the  inventive  genius  and  patronize 
the  manufacturers  as  they  come  out  with  their  novel  con- 
trivances. As  a  new  kind  of  horse  cannot  be  invented 
beyond  the  first  cross  between  the  mare  and  the  jack,  we 
have  contrivances  and  ignorance  enough  to  make  differ- 
ent kinds  of   dispositions,   tempers  and  mouths.      No 


114  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

doubt  we  will  be  denounced  by  some  horse-liead-gear 
inventors  or  fanciers,  but  we  expect  this  ;  and,  caring 
more  for  the  horse  than  we  do  for  his  persecutors,  we 
shall  continue  to  defend  him  and  take  his  part  by  declar- 
ing war  against  so  much  unnecessary  interference  with 
his  mouth,  till  it  is  made  of  cast-iron — then  we  will  give 
up  the  contest. 

When  men,  dogs,  deer,  fowls,  all  animated  creation 
and  horses,  fly  or  go  out  of  a  walk,  they  stretch  their 
heads  and  necks  out  in  proportion  to  their  speed,  and  as 
much  in  a  line  with  each  other  as  possible,  to  ensure  as 
straight  and  as  direct  a  passage  for  air  to  their  lungs  as 
their  speed  requires — while  the  horse,  from  whom  so 
much  speed  is  exacted,  is  tied  and  bound  up  neck  and 
crop  to  such  a  degree  that  to  put  him  on  his  speed  would 
be  impossible  without  running  him  off  his  wind  before  he 
went  a  mile. 

The  illustrations  (fig.  47)  from  1  to  6,  show  the  natural 
positions  of  the  necks,  heads  and  tails  under  speed.    The 


:  3  «  5 

Fig.  47.— POSITIONS  IN  RUNNING. 

animals  with  their  heads  and  tails  stretched  out  at  full 
length  have  use  for  both  thus  held  while  on  the  run. 
The  tails  act  as  rudders  to  guide  or  steer  and  steady 
them,  and  the  faster  they  go,  as  in  sailing,  the  less  action 
of  the  tail  or  rudder  is  necessary,  and  in  case  of  a  short 
turn  it  is,  by  some,  switched  to  tlie  right  or  left  with  a 
circular  sweep  to  facilitate  the  sudden  reverse  of  action 
of  the  body  to  balance  under  tlie  strain.  It  will  be  said 
that  so  small  a  tail  as  some  animals  have  could  not  affect 
any  motion  of  so  large  an  animal,  but  watch  the  triflmg 
motion  of  the  tail  or  tin  of  the  fish  that  governs  the  fish's 


THE   BAR  BITS,    STRAIGHT  AND   CURVED.  115 

motion  and  speed  in  a  direct  or  circular  motion.  The 
greyhound  is  the  most  perfect  and  positive  example 
among  our  domestic  animals  of  this  use  of  the  tail, 
which  with  him  is  long,  as  in  all  mammal  animals  of 
prey,  requiring  sudden  reverse  of  action  when  under 
speed  on  a  direct  course. 

The  instinct  of  the  bare,  whose  greatest  and  most 
deadly  enemy  is  the  greyhound,  teaches  it  when  hard 
pressed  to  turn  suddenly  round,  while  the  hound,  being 
heavier  and  not  expecting  the  sudden  change  of  course, 
is  unable  to  turn  so  short  or  check  his  speed,  and  thus 


Fig.  48.  STRAIT-JACKETS.  Fig.  49. 

passes  on  while  the  hare  is  making  time  in  another  direc- 
tion. See  the  fancy  head-gear  and  steering  apparatus, 
as  represented  in  figures  48  and  49  ;  they  are  little  short 
of  an  equine  strait-jacket  that  inventors  prepare  for 
horses  of  certain  tendencies  that  certainly  have  instinctive 
appreciations  of  the  cruelty  of  the  driver,  and  a  necessity 
f  jr  perfect  submission  to  the  inevitable  ignorance  of  what 
he  needs  to  perform  his  duties  long  and  well. 

The  fine  bred  Xorman  stallion,  for  getting  carriage 
horses,  represented  in  figure  50,  not  being  put  on  any 
speed  faster  than  a  walk  would  bear  all  this  lacing  and 
binding  up  to  a  fancy  position  while  at  work,  because  he 
needs  no  extra  supply  of  wind  in  his  lungs  while  at  his 


116  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

work,  but  if  he  were  tied  np  and  put  on  a  trot  or 
canter  the  little  he  had  would  soon  give  out.  Figure  49 
shows  the  style  of  horse  that  the  crest  strap  is  j^ut  on 
and  as  may  be  seen  in  buggy  driving,  and  how  it  tends 
to  make  bad  worse.  The  horse's  head  is  already  set  on 
wrong,  which  characterizes  him  as  a  poke,  and  while  his 
nose  is  naturally  stuck  out  and  thrown  upwards  as  if  to 
sniff  the  fresh  air,  his  crest,  which  should  be  convexed, 
is  concaved,  and  consequently  the  head  and  neck  are  the 
very  reverse  of  what  they  ought  to  be.  But  this  fancy 
torture  and  Tomfoolery  will  have  its  day.  Is  there  any 
sense  in  putting  the  crest  strap  and  its  accompanjang  bit 
on  such  a  horse  ?    One  bit  pulling  his  mouth  up  towards 


Fig.  50.— NOKMAN  STAI.LION. 

his  eyes  and  the  other  towards  points  of  his  shoulders, 
thus  at  right  angles.  The  freaks  and  peculiarities  of 
nature  cannot  be  ignored,  and  we  are  bound  to  heed  her 
suggestions,  study  and  adopt  her  plans  and  observe  her 
laws.  But  the  course  that  some  persons  take  in  this 
direction  is  as  much  at  variance  with  reason  as  is  the 
hobby  that  they  ride. 

CONTEADICTIONS. 

Driving  reins  to  pull  back,  check  rein  to  pull  up,  mar- 
tingale to  pull  down,  crest  and  race  strap  to  hold  the 
nose  out,  curb  to  hold  it  in,  and  all  these  varieties  work- 


BAR   BITS,    STRAIGHT   AJ^D   CURVED.  117 

iug  at  the  same  time,  tend  to  create  a  sympathy  for  the 
poor  buggy  horse  that  falls  under  such  treatment  prior 
to  a  term  of  regular  training  under  the  supervision  and 
peculiar  instruction  of  a  Philadelphia  lawyer. 

There  are  no  delicate  hints  possible  to  convey  to  the 
horse  by  a  bar  bit  in  any  form.  It  is  too  clumsy,  too 
unyielding,  and  is  fib  for  nothing  but  pulling  and  haul- 
ing at  a  horse  that  has  no  mouth  or  idea  of  obedience 
from  ordinary  training. 

But  we  must  consider  that  the  bar  bit  in  its  early  in- 
troduction, for  a  peculiar  use,  was  preferred  by  many 
'*  horsemen  "  on  the  track  ;  it  got  favor  in  private  stables 
from  mere  custom,  thtis  becoming  fashionable  for  all  horses 
alike  ;  and  when  fashion  in  the  United  States  takes  hold 
of  people,  it  soon  becomes  despotic  and  controls  every- 
thing, even  common  sense,  setting  judgment,  prudence 
and  necessity  at  defiance.  This  was  a  signal  for  manu- 
facturers to  rush  it  into  the  market,  and  thus  render  it 
common  for  any  purpose  in  harness.  One  man  who  has 
used  the  bar  bit  all  his  life,  could  give  no  reason  for  its 
preference,  only  that  ^^  they  generally  use  it  now,"  but 
did  not  say  that  they  generally  have  horses  now  that 
require  it. 

To  show  how  far  fashion  controls  in  these  days,  we 
may  state  that  it  is  fashionable  to  have  everything  about 
houses  red — house,  bricks,  blinds,  doors  and  railings.  In 
more  hard  common  sense  times,  it  was  customarj  to  have 
scrapers  at  the  lowest  step  at  a  hall  door,  to  scrape  the 
mud  off  our  boots.  Now  it  is  fashionable  to  have  none, 
but  to  trail  the  mud  up  to  the  door-mat  in  the  vestibule, 
and  there  deposit  the  street  dirt,  which  is  horse  manure. 
There  is  no  end  to  the  senseless  and  growing  disposition 
to  follow  after  and  be  governed  by  fashion  in  its  most 
unreasonable  moods  and  directions,  for  the  sake  of  hav- 
ing something  new.  Unfortunately  for  the  comfort  of 
the  poor  horse,  it  is  the  same  with  the  bar  and  some 


118  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

other  bits  sadly  on  the  increase.  Every  advocate  of  a 
new  style  can  give  a  very  plausible  reason  for  using  his 
favorite  torture  with  a  horse.  He  drives  his  own  horse 
with  some  newfangled  contrivance,  and  this  is  held  as  a 
sufficient  proof  of  its  excellence.  The  horse  learns  to 
submit  to  it  and  seems  pleased.  Why  ?  Because  he  is  a 
creature  of  circumstances  and  is  glad  it  is  no  worse.  His 
very  nature  and  life  is  slavery  and  submission  to  his 
driver's  will  and  caprice  ;  and,  as  from  friendly  familiarity 
he  knows  and  likes  him,  he  submits  tamely  to  anything 
and  everything  he  requires  him  to  do  and  endure.  It  is 
this  abiding  love  for  and  faith  in  some  men  that  blind 
and  self-willed  girls  entertain,  as  they  find  to  their  sorrow 
w^hen  t  DO  late  ;  but  the  horse  has  no  alternative  but  to 
submit  to  physical  if  not  to  moral  force. 

If  the  horse  has  gone  well  with  one  bit,  another  is 
sometimes  added,  and  wdien  he  learns  to  go  gently  with 
that,  it  is  praised  up  as  having  peculiar  virtues,  that  no 
doubt  are  in  the  horse,  not  in  it.  But  innovations, 
changes  and  alterations,  under  the  title  of  "  modern  im- 
provements," are  not  always  improvements,  though  they 
are  now  all  the  go,  and  the  actual  benefit  to  the  horse 
and  the  pleasure  and  convenience  of  the  driver  are  often 
sacrificed  to  this  national  rage  after  something  new  in 
fashion  and  change,  not  unfrequently  for  the  worse.  It 
is  this  that  tends  to  spoil  horses,  for  whose  management 
all  the  neighbors  have  an  infallible  remedy.  As  the  ex- 
perienced Scotchman  once  said  :  ^'Everybody  con  min- 
age  a  baud  vv'eefe  but  the  mon's  goot  er. "  The  best  cure 
for  a  spoiled  horse  is  to  ask  a  reasjDnable  price,  and  for 
^^the  baud  weefe"  a  divorce  seems  to  be  the  most 
effective. 


CARRIAGE   BAR   BIT. 


119 


CH  APTEE    XVI. 


CARRIAGE  BAR  BIT  WITH  CURB  AND  BEARING  REIN. 


This  bit  with  the  plain  bar,  as  represented  in  figure  51, 
is  generally  used  on  the  carriage,  cab  and  coupe  horse  in- 
discriminately. But  if  used  with  a  check  rein,  buckled 
on  at  A,  and  the  rein  at  B,  C,  D  or  E,  while  the  curb  and 
cheek  strap  are  fast  at  i^and  >'jr,  there  are  more  confusing 
guides  and  restraints  than  a  fine  mouth  should  be  sub- 
jected to — for  there  is  a  contrary  action  here  that  con- 


Fig.  51, — CARRIAGE  BAR  BIT. 


fuses  any  horse  of  ordinary  intelligence,  and  instead  of 
replying  to  delicate  touches,  that  the  rein  alone  should 
convey,  he  throws  himself  aimlessly  on  the  mercy  of  the 
driver  and  waits  to  be  pulled  about  by  strength  of  hands 
rather  than  by  magic  touches  or  appeals  to  his  intelli- 
gence. If  the  check  rein  be  used  on  a  bit  with  the 
Liverpool  slide,  the  slide  cannot  act,  for  the  check  is 
supposed  to  be  always  on  the  strain,  and  this  would  keep 
the  bit  always  tight  up  against  the  corners  of  the  mouth. 
The  check,  therefore,  should  never  be  used  on  this  bit, 
i.  e.,  if  the  slide  is  intended  to  operate. 


120  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

The  curb  at  F,  the  check  at  A,  and  the  rein  at  B,  C, 
I)  or  E,  neutralize  each  other's  action  in  proportion  to 
the  way  the  horse  carries  his  head,  and  the  slot  the  rein 
is  in  ;  consequently  a  hard  pull,  instead  of  a  mere  hint, 
is  necessary  and  to  which  the  horse  should  not  be  trained. 
Two  reins  j^ulling  together  at  the  same  time  and  from 
different  directions  on  the  same  bit  is  not  only  at  yari- 
ance  with  all  rules  of  equestrian  skill  and  equine  manage- 
ment, but  is  a  yiolation  of  principle  in  either  moral  or 
physical  guidance,  and,  in  the  goyernment  of  men  or 
families,  mutiny  is  the  consequence.  There  is  only  one 
helm  necessary  to  steer  the  ship,  and,  indeed,  less  force 
than  is  used  in  holdinsr  some  horses.  Almost  eyery  man 
we  see  behind  from  one  to  four  horses  uses  both  hands 
with  the  reins.  This,  with  a  single  horse,  causes  an  im- 
perceptible sawing  or  unsteady  action  of  the  bit  in  the 
mouth,  occasioned  by  the  motion  of  the  body  as  the 
yehicle  jolts,  which,  although  perhaps  not  known  to  the 
driver,  neyertheless  exists,  and  is  so  keenly  felt  by  the 
sensitiye  mouth  that  it  keeps  the  horse  on  the  watch  all 
the  time  to  know  what  it  means  and  what  he  is  to  do 
next.  It  may  be  argued  that  a  horse  should  not  haye 
such  a  sensitiye  mouth  ;  this  as  you  please — you  can  take 
your  choice. 

If  the  reins  are  on  C,  D  or  E,  they  work  the  curb,  so 
that  there  are  three  different  operations  of  the  bit  going 
on  at  the  same  time  on  the  mouth — namely,  the  curb,  the 
check  rein  and  the  driving  rein.  We  will  allow  that  to 
get  up  style  in  the  horse  these  three  are  necessary,  and  if 
so,  the  horse  should  be  trained  to  the  most  delicate  hint 
from  either  one.  The  constant  strain  of  the  check  rein 
at  the  rings  that  the  rein  is  fast  to,  operates  like  a  twitch 
on  some  horses  not  well  set  up  for  harness  ;  it  dissipates 
the  sensitiyeness  of  the  mouth,  and  a  delicate  touch  of 
the  reins  is  not  so  keenly  felt,  and  a  check  or  hard  pull 
follows.     These  errors  in  driying  are  on  the  same  prin- 


CARRIAGE   BAR   BIT.  121 

ciple  of  using  both  curb  and  bridoon  at  the  same  time 
with  the  saddle-horse,  and  this  by  men  of  intelligence  in 
other  respects.  Most,  and,  indeed,  all  men  are  fools  in 
something,  and  the  fools  in  this  respect  at  the  present 
time  can  be  counted  by  the  score.  It  would  be  in-terest- 
ing  to  know  what  ideas  such  riders  and  drivers  have  of 
the  separate  uses  of  such  bits,  and  the  moral  effects  of 
their  operations  on  the  horse,  either  separately  or  to- 
gether. 

The  man  who  used  to  play  a  half  dozen  different  kinds 
of  musical  instruments  together  at  the  same  time  is  dead, 
but  the  men  who  use  three  or  four  different  kinds  of 
steering  gear  on  a  horse  at  the  same  time  are  not,  and 
many  such  riders  have  broken  their  own  or  their  horses' 
necks  since  Brown  broke  his  on  the  Beacon  course  some 
forty  years  ago,  when  the  horse,  mistaking  the  action  of 
the  bit  for  what  it  didn't  mean,  stopped  short  at  the  first 
hurdle,  and  threw  Brown  headlong  over  his  head  and 
hi\rdle,  too,  and  broke  his  neck.  We  have  plenty  of 
Browns.  The  bad  manao-ement  of  the  bits  is  a  most 
fruitful  source  of  this  kind  of  accident  to  novices  in  the 
art  of  riding  who  would  be  horsemen. 


122 


THE  BRIDLE   BITS. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE  CARRIAGE  BIT-AND-BRIDOON. 

There  are  several  styles  of  the  carriage  bit,  but  all  tend 
to  operate  in  the  same  way  for  ihe  same  purpose  with 
more  or  less  effect.  Each  bit  (as  illustrated  in  fig.  52)  is 
made  with  different  degrees  of  power  in  itself  while  oper- 
ating together.     By  having  the  reins  buckled  on  the 


Fig.  52. — CARRIAGE  BIT-AND-BRIDOON. 

upper  or  lower  slot  in  the  guards  the  severity  of  the  curb 
is  regulated  to  suit  the  mouth.  The  arch  in  the  bar  is 
more  for  the  play  of  the  tongue  than  for  action  on  the 
palate,  as  shown  in  the  cavalry  bit.  But  the  tendency 
now  is  to  use  this  bit  on  the  carriage  horse  with  a  i)lain 
bar  without  the  arch  or  lever,  which,  being  so  slight,  lias 
no  power.  When  the  bridoon  is  used  with  this  bit  the 
check  rein  is  put  on  the  bridoon,  and  thus  the  bit  is 
relieved  of  so  many  contrary  actions,  as  represented  in 
the  carriage  bit  on  the  Pelham  plan.  This  bridoon  bit 
is  used  on  the  carriage  horse  with  a  check  rein  only,  and 
is  not  used  in  any  way  in  guiding  the  horse. 


THE   CAERIAGE   BIT-AND-BRIDOON.  123 

OPERATION   OF  THE   BRIDOOK. 

Tbe  operation  of  tlie  bridoon  with  its  reins  is  to  bridle 
the  horse  up  and  give  him  a  stylish  carriage  and  hand- 
some appear-ance  in  keeping  with  the  carriage  and  har- 
ness and  the  intention  of  the  owner,  who  may  have  spent 
from  $1,000  to  $6,000  on  the  turnout. 

STYLE   vs.    BRID00:N^   and    check   REIN"   ABANDONED. 

Some  chicken-hearted  men  have  abandoned  the  use  of 
the  bridoon  and  check  rein  on  the  ground  of  sparing  the 
horse  the  restraint  it  puts  on  him  while  in  harness.  But 
the  horse  that  it  is  put  on  is  generally  a  carriage  horse 
used  for  pleasure,  and  that,  perhaps,  during  only  two  or 
three  hours  daily.  As  he  is  not  driven  at  a  speed  faster 
than  a  jog-trot  in  the  streets  and  parks,  where  style  is  as 
necessary  as  the  airing  itself,  and  the  entire  equipage  is 
supposed  to  be  as  ornamental  as  useful,  the  carriage  horse 
can  as  well  submit  to  a  little  restraint,  for  that  short  time, 
as  can  the  coachman  who  drives  him  and  is  squeezed  into 
a  pair  of  skin-tight  buckskin  breeches,  English  cattle 
dealer's  ^^tops,"  a  stand-up  collar,  white  choker,  and 
stiffened  into  a  straight  up-and-down  position — as  if  seated 
in  a  gar  rote — all  of  which  indicate  a  certain  degree  of 
stiffness  and  shoddy  uneasiness  that  is  check  enough  for 
that  part  of  the  equipment,  and  certainly  to  us  unenvi- 
able, but  strange  to  say  does  not  excite  any  degree  of 
philanthropy  in  his  favor. 

OCCUPANT   OF   THE   CARRIAGE. 

When  we  take  into  consideration  the  adopted  position 
and  feelings,  if  not  airs,  of  the  madame  who  may  be  a 
novice  in  the  art  of  lounging  in  a  carriage  for  display, 
she  may  be  under  like  restraint  with  the  horses  and 
driver,  and  perhaps  of  the  three — the  horses,  the  driver 


124  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

and  the  driven — all  haying  their  respective  parts  to  play^ 
the  horses  suffer  least. 

PASSI:N^G   IN"   KEVIEW. 

In  fact  all  three  must  be  educated  and  trained  from 
early  youth  to  perform  their  respective  parts  with  that 
natural  ease  peculiar  to  those  whose  familiarity  with 
their  stations,  habits  and  parts,  renders  their  positions 
and  their  movements  easy,  and  makes  them  admired  alike 
for  their  embellishments  and  their  grace,  so  that  in  pass- 
ing in  review  before  those  whose  admiration,  if  not  won- 
der, they  would  challenge  or  desire  to  excite,  they  may 
do  so  with  the  consciousness  of  the  ease  and  dignity  of 
those  whose  sphere  in  life  they  desire  to  represent. 

JEWELRY   OF   THE   TURNOUT. 

But  the  master  part  of  this  gorgeous  turnout  and 
passing  show  is  the  style,  carriage  and  management  of 
the  bits,  and  their  adaptability  to  the  horses  and  the 
occasion.  The  bit  and  its  appendages  are  the  jewelry  of 
the  day  on  exhibition,  and  this  cannot  be  done  to  perfec- 
tion without  the  horses  to  match. 

BREEDING  FOR  THE  CARRIAGE. 

Peculiar  breeding  for  the  carriage  is  as  necessary  as  for 
the  track,  field  or  race  course,  and  those  who  discard  the 
bearing  rein  on  account  of  its  severity  had  better  select 
horses  to  suit  their  purpose  without  it ;  and  if  they  are 
not  judges,  let  them  find  some  person  who  is,  and  if  the 
horses  are  naturally  well  set  up  with  a  good  forehand 
they  may  wear,  but  not  use,  the  bearing  rein,  thus  spar- 
ing their  owner's  feelings. 

MATED,    NOT   MATCHED    HORSES. 

Horses  that  are  put  together  as  a  team  because  they 
are  the  same  height  and  color  or  look  alike,  and  have 


THE   CARRIAGE   BIT-AND-P>RIJ)OON.  125 

been  driven  with  different  and  various  bits  yet  don't  go 
well  together,  are  numerous  and  ought  to  be  divorced. 
This  may  be  because,  although  they  are  mates  they  are 
not  matches,  and  while  one  is  worth  $500  the  mate  is  not 
worth  $50.  If  horses  are  not  well  matched  in  every  re- 
spect, especially  in  the  mouthing,  they  must  be  driven 
with  different  bits,  and  the  length  of  the  inner  or  outer 
rein  regulated  according  to  the  disposition  of  one  or  the 
other  of  the  team  to  pull  with  or  against  each  other,  and 
thus  fall  into  ^Hugging." 

SELLII^G   ILL-MATCHED   TEAMS. 

Selling  the  better  horse  first,  at  auction,  to  get  a  big 
price  to  start  with,  so  as  to  regulate  the  price  of  the  mate, 
is  a  common  trick,  and  it  frequently  ^'  takes,"  for  which 
the  purchasers  pay  dearly. 

SMALL  PER  CENT.  OF  CARRIAGE  HORSES. 

Only  about  five  per  cent,  of  the  horses  we  see  before 
carriages  in  the  parks  are  born  carriage  horses  ;  and  as 
for  the  rest,  give  us  the  carriage  and  haiTiess  and  we  will 
say  nothing  about  the  horses  for  that  purpose. 

HORSES,    CARRIAGES   AXD   HARNESS. 

The  carriages  and  haniess  are  a  credit  to  the  resi^ective 
artizans,  but  the  horses  reflect  discredit  on  the  owners. 
In  fact  the  supply  is  not  equal  to  the  demand ;  and  it 
seems  to  us  unaccountable  that,  notwithstanding  the  high 
jn'ices  that  men  are  willing  to  pay,  horses  are  not  properly 
bred  for  the  carriage,  so  that  the  objectionable  severity 
of  the  bearing  rein  might  be  reduced  to  a  minimum  and 
the  desired  style  ensured.  Truck  and  cart  horses  have 
the  bearing  rein  thrown  loosely  on  the  hames — not  for 
style,  but  merely  to  keep  the  horse  from  reaching  down 
to  nibble  at  things.    Some  of  the  Xorman  and  Clydesdale 


126  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

breeds,  now  becoming  so  numerous  in  our  cities,  have  a 
fine  carriage,  and,  like  a  well-j^roportioned  man,  don't  re- 
quire any  artificial  means  to  set  them  up. 

STOCK   TO   BREED   FROM. 

These  are  the  animals  to  breed  carriage  horses  from 
by  proj^er  crossings,  and  as  men  take  pride  in  selecting 

handsome  harness  and  showy  bits  they  must  depend  on 

fine  horses  to  set  them  off,  and  these  are  the  breeds  to 

draw  from.     The  carriage  horse  should   have  his  nose 

above  the  line  of  his  back,  and  if  well  proportioned  and 

well  set  up  mares  of  these  breeds  were  crossed  with  such 


Fior.  53.— FLYING   CHILDERrf. 


^» 


horses  as  Flying  Child ers,  the  first  generation  would 
have  a  style  that  Avould  direct  the  breeder  in  his  selection 
of  the  sire  for  the  next  crossing. 

A  carriage  horse  must  have  size  to  set  off  handsome 
harness  to  advantage.  Everything  must  be  in  proportion. 
To  cover  up  a  small  horse  with  large  harness  and  heavy 
bits  and  head^stall  is  as  bad  taste  as  that  of  a  little  man 
or  woman  wearing  a  big  hat  to  make  uji  for  deficiency 
in  the  size  or  height  of  the  body.  Such  a  person  looks 
like  a  decayed  ass — his  head  is  the  biggest  part  of  him. 

BREEDIXG   THE   WROXG   WAY. 

We  are  breeding  the  wrong  way — downward  and  back- 
ward instead  of  upward  and  forward — for  the  carriage. 


THE   CARRIAGE   BIT-AN^D-BRIDOON".  127 

NO   STYLE   OR   GRACE   IN   SHORT-LEGGED    HORSES. 

There  is  no  style  or  easy  action  in  the  fat,  big-bellied, 
short-legged,  bob-tailed  cob  for  harness,  and  when  we  stroll 
throuoh  a  first-class  harness  establishment  and  see  the 
handsome  Enoljsh  and  home-made  outfits  for  botli  ridins: 
and  driving,  we  regret  not  knowing  where  to  find  horses 
worthy  of  their  gorgeous  perfections.  No  doubt  there 
are  ^ne  carriage  horses,  but  they  are  few  and  far  between. 
Instead  of  breeding  for  them,  they  come  more  by  chance 
in  breeding  other  stock  than  by  design,  as  is  evident  in  the 
various  points  of  their  formation.  Thousands  drift  into 
the  cities  that  should  never  leave  the  farm  or  the  **  dirt " 
roads  of  a  back  country.  From  the  stock  we  have  we 
could  breed  to  suit  any  service,  and  the  carriage  could  be 
suited  as  well  as  the  plow.  The  hunter  that  carries  225 
pounds  is  bred  for  the  purpose,  and  he  brings  his  price. 

The  necessary  points  in  a  carriage  horse  can  be  bred 
for  and  produced  as  w^ell  as  for  the  extra  size  of  the  most 
desirable  roasting  pieces  of  mutton  or  beef,  but  perhaps  it 
requires  the  foresight,  the  patience,  science  and  perse- 
verance of  an  Englishman  to  accomplish  this.  The 
English  have  brought  breeding  of  all  domestic  animals 
to  a  state  of  perfection.  Every  shape,  point  and  size  that 
they  have  developed  designedly  have  their  unmistakable 
uses  and  values.  And  as  the  English  for  hundreds  of 
years  had  been  groping  in  the  dark,  bringing  all  sorts  of 
domestic  animals  from  various  parts  of  the  world  as 
means  to  certain  ends,  in  which  they  have  most  certainly 
succeeded  beyond  ihe  wildest  expectations  of  their  enter- 
prising progenitors,  w^e  should  not  boast  of  success,  con- 
siderins;  that  w^e  are  workino-  in  the  lio-ht  and  on  the- 
material  that  they  gave  us. 

Englishmen  of  the  present  day  liavc  grown  out  of  the 
ignorance,  manners  and  habits  of  a  barbarous  race,  clad 
in  skins  of  wild  animals,  fighting  their  way  through 


128  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

more  powerful  and  more  civilized  nations  with  bovrs  and 
arrows  and  the  primitive  weapons  of  the  dark  ages  to 
establish  a  government  and  a  nation  with  la^vs  worthy  of 
civilized  man,  while  we  in  America  have  grown  out  ,cf 
the  highest  state  of  cultivated  civilization  that  came  over 
and  was  landed  on  our  shores  by  every  vessel  from  the 
first  voyage  of  the  *^May  Flower"  to  the  last  of  the 
^'Oregon."  There  is  a  vast  difference,  therefore,  between 
the  difficulties  and  the  progress  of  the  last  two  thousand 
years  and  the  last  two  hundred.  "We  have  nothing  to  do 
but  improve  upon  and  sail  the  boat  tliat  England  and 
other  nations  built,  and  as  we  have  all  the  material  nec- 
essary for  every  enterprise,  and  imported  artizans  to  do 
the  work,  we  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  take  their  hints 
and  improve  on  our  mother's  precepts,  exam^Dle  and  skill. 
Let  this  princijDle  be  adopted  in  the  breeding  regions  of 
the  West,  and  eight  or  ten  years  hence  our  carriages 
will  be  as  admirably  adorned  with  suitable  horse-flesh  as 
our  tracks  are  now. 

THE   CARRIAGE   HORSE. 

The  carriage  horse,  as  represented  in  fignre  29,  can  be 
so  formed  and  set  up  by  judicious  breeding  that  there 
would  be  no  necessity  for  restraint  from  the  bearing 
rein,  for  his  head  is  now  where  the  bearing  rein  would 
have  it  in  its  most  exacting  requirements  ;  and  thus  a 
horse  can  be  made  to  order  to  suit  the  harness  instead  of 
the  reverse.  The  harness  is  all  right,  but  the  horses  are 
not.  It  awaits  the  advent  of  a  worthy  wearer.  It  is  the 
^'  lunk-head  "  with  dull  eye,  big  belly  full  of  hay  to  fill 
out  the  harness,  banged  tail  to  make  believe  thorough- 
bred, check  rein  drawn  to  excess  to  deceive  the  uniniti- 
ated and  affect  carriage  horse  airs,  and  bis  tongue  hang- 
ing out  at  the  side  of  his  mouth,  that  is  entitled  to  our 
sympathy — for,  instead  of  being  in  front  of  a  plow  or  farm 
wagon,  he  is  the  wrong  horse  in  the  wrong  place,  and 


THE   CARRIAGE   BIT-AND-BRIDOOX.  129 

quite  as  remarkable  to  us  as  the  sun-burned  farm  hand  in 
his  cow-hide  boots  is  in  a  fashionable  city  thoroughfare. 
Surely,  breeders  who  understand  how  to  select  the  stock 
would  find  it  a  profitable  business  to  breed  a  dozen  span 
of  carriage  horses  yearly  that  would  bring  from  one 
thousand  to  three  thousand  dollars  a  span  when  trained, 
and  cost  no  more  to  get  and  keep  than  so  many  ^Hunk- 
heads  ?  " 

Before  this  book  goes  to  press  tbere  will  be  sold  at  auction 
some  eigbt  hundred  New  York  stage  horses  from  which 
could  be  selected  remarkably  fine  and  desirable  mares  for 
breeding  purposes.  These  mares  have  stood  the  batter 
(wear  and  tear)  of  stage  Avork  for  years,  and  besides  their 
beautiful  and  symmetrical  proportions,  they  have  proved 
their  thorough  soundness  and  cajDacity  for  endurance  on 
time  and  stones,  in  their  having  come  out  of  the  ordeal 
of  the  most  severe  work  that  horses  can  be  put  to.  There 
they  are  ;  they  need  no  guarantee.  The  first  and  second 
cross  between  such  mares  and  a  Norman,  and  secondly  a 
thoroughbred,  well-selected  racer,  would  be  an  animal 
calculated  to  encourage  the  bit  and  harness-makers  in 
producing  the  most  elaborate  specimens  of  their  respec- 
tive arts,  and  the  numerous  bits  that  we  now  prize  so 
highly  would  each  be  suited  in  a  style  of  carriage  horse 
that  does  not  adorn  the  park  equijiage  of  the  present 
time  to  any  very  great  extent. 

The  lolling  beauty  of  the  gay  and  opulent  home,  whose 
owner  needs  equine  judgment,  perhaps,  more  than  finan- 
cial means  to  indulge  his  wife  or  daughter  in  the  command 
of  a  handsome  equipage,  is  well  deserving,  as  a  right,  to 
such  a  favor.  Her  j^osition  and  surroundings  in  society 
cannot  be  set  off  to  a^^propriate  advantage,  her  home  em- 
bellished and  her  person  adorned  to  a  suitable  deoTce  of  per- 
fection in  conjunction  with  her  social  position,  without  the 
opportunities  that  such  an  indulgence  generally  supplies. 
The  costly  dress,  gorgeous  jewelry  and  elegant  furniture 


130  THE  BRIDLE   BITS. 

of  a  brilliant  and  costly  home  are  well  enough  in  an  indoor, 
narrow  sphere,  but  in  i^assiug  in  review  before  the  outer 
world  she  must  be  mistress  of  a  carriage  drawn  by  hand- 
some horses,  chosen  and  kept  in  a  style  and  condition 
commensurate  with  her  character  and  rank.  To  cater  to 
this  demand  is,  therefore,  the  duty  of  the  breeder.  The 
equestrian  sports,  pleasures,  necessities  and  fancies  pecu- 
liar to  every  nation  have  developed  horses  to  suit  their 
respective  demands.  In  England  and  Ireland  hunting 
developed  the  breeds  of  horses  that  have  supplied  this 
country,  the  Continent  and  the  colonies  with  the  best 
saddle-horses  the  world  can  produce.  And  although  the 
the  Tartar  and  the  Arab  can  justly  claim  a  share  in  the 
production  of  the  great  steeple-chaser,  they  furnished 
only  a  minimum  of  the  ingredients  while  other  nations 
contributed  their  respective  shares  ;  but  the  Britain  j^ut 
them  together,  and  the  steeple-chaser  is  the  production 
of  this  master-hand  in  the  science  of  breeding  from  rough 
materials  to  the  highest  degree  of  perfection. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE  USE  OF  BLINDS  ON  HORSES. 

The  custom  of  putting  blinds  on  horses  indiscrimi- 
nately is  a  great  error.  Carriage  horses  look  well  in 
showy  head-gear,  and  handsome  blinds  are  a  great  im- 
provement to  the  style  and  general  appearance  of  real, 
well  set  up  carriage  horses.  But  for  buggy,  cart,  car, 
stage,  wagon,  truck  and  general  travel  they  are  wholly 
unnecessary,  and  as  regards  safety  they  are  a  detriment 
rather  than  an  advantage.  What  do  surface  car  horses 
want  with  blinds  ?  Horses,  like  ourselves,  want  to  see 
where  they  are  going,  and  the  horse  that  shies  proves  that 


THE   USE   OF   BLIKDS   0:N^   HORSES.  131 

he  wants  to  keep  out  of  danger  by  the  very  fact  of  his 
shying. 

We  must  consider  that  a  horse  leading  an  artificial  life, 
like  ourselves  walking  in  the  dark  in  a  strange  place, 
don't  see  what  is  around  him  if  he  has  blinds  on  and 
is,  therefore,  naturally  timid  and  careful.  If  a  horse  is 
too  careful  and  takes  too  wide  a  circuit  in  shying,  it  is 
with  the  best  intentions  from  his  instincts.  But  because 
he  does  it  a  little  too  much,  and  more  than  his  driver 
sees  necessary,  he  should  not  be  abused  but  spoken  to 
softly  and  kindly,  and  thus  encouraged,  for  he  means  no 
wrong.  The  stupid  "  lunk-head  "  will  go  so  close  to  a 
hole  that  one  wheel  will  fall  into  it,  w^hile  the  horse  of 
intelligence  will  keep  well  away  from  it,  but  not  having 
studied  geometry  he  does  not  know  the  exact  length  of 
the  axles  and  the  distance  necessary  to  keep  from  the 
danger.  Man,  himself,  don't  keejo  away  from  danger  at 
all  times,  though  he  has  the  advantage  of  sense  and 
reason  supplied  him. 

The  "  lunk-head  "  is  called  "'a  familv  horse  "  that  don't 
care  where  he  goes  and  depends  on  his  driver  to  look  out 
for  danger,  or  he  expects  to  be  pulled  and  hauled  about 
and  guided  by  the  reins  which  supply  him  with  all  the 
sense  he  wants,  while  the  intelligent  horse  that  wants  to 
see  for  himself  is  called  a  *^ shyer"  that  does  care,  and 
w^hile  he  often  over-does  it  he  as  often  gets  cursed  at  and 
whipped.  AYhen  horses  stop  with  some  drivers  they  are 
petted  and  coaxed  till  they  start ;  then  they  are  whipped, 
chucked  and  beaten  as  if  (to  them)  for  going  on.  If  they 
are  to  be  petted  for  what  they  should  not  do,  and  whipped 
for  what  they  should  do,  how  are  horses  to  understand 
it? 

A  shying  horse  and  a  sulky,  balky  horse  are  different. 
Shying  is  not  a  vice  ;  it  is  more  a  habit  than  a  fault, 
knowing  that  he  does  not  mean  it.  There  are  times 
when  a  shying  horse  would  save  life  if  he'd  only  shy  at 


132  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 

the  right  time  and  place.  Our  course  is  to  chastise  or 
correct  a  horse,  if  necessary,  for  doing  wrong,  and  en- 
conrage  him  for  doing  right.  If  he  be  whijoped  for 
stopping,  the  "^'hipping  should  cease  when  he  goes  on, 
and  not  till  then. 

To  give  a  horse  the  advantage  of  seeing  around  him  w^e 
would  use  a  headstall  without  blinds.  But  we  would 
make  an  exception  of  the  carriage  horse,  for  we  want 
him  for  style,  park  show  and  excusable  vanity,  and  to 
indulge  this  very  harmless  ambition  we  will  admit  that 
the  carriage  and  coupe  horse,  for  this  reason,  should 
have  on  blinds  and  let  the  the  driver  look  out  for  danger. 


-♦o»- 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


FEEDIIN'G. 


As  the  pleasure  of  riding  or  driving  depends  upon  the 
willing  response  to  a  gentle  touch  of  the  reins,-  if  projierly 
held — in  one  hand — and  the  effective  touch  of  the  reins 
depends  upon  the  life  and  spirit  of  the  horse,  Avhich 
should  be  light  and  airy  to  render  him  all  the  lighter  in 
hand,  feeding  in  both  time,  quantity  and  quality  is  a 
very  important  consideration,  for  on  this  depends  the 
degree  and  extent  of  his  usefulness,  as  he  can  thereby  be 
rendered  high-spirited  or  lubberly,  light  or  heavy  in 
hand,  willing  or  unwilling  to  move  on  or  to  reply  to  the 
bit,  whip,  word  or  spur.  We  deem  it,  therefore,  neces- 
sary in  connection  with  the  use  of  the  bit,  to  say  a  few 
words  to  the  reader  on  this  subject  before  we  part. 

The  mistaken  ideas  that  some  persons  have  about  feed- 
ing themselves  or  others,  or  their  horses,  is  the  excuse  we 


FEEDING.  133 

offer  for  introducing  a  subject  at  the  close  that  may  seem 
foreign  to  the  title  of  this  book.  But  in  the  use  and 
management  of  horses  these  two  subjects  interlace,  and 
we  cannot  touch  upon  one  without  involving  the  sym- 
pathy of  the  other.  Aside  from  the  physical  handling  of 
the  horse  there  is  the  vital  subject  of  feeding,  and  the 
proper  course  to  pursue  to  put  the  most  life  and 
strength  into  him  and  obtain  the  greatest  amount  of 
work  or  speed  out  of  him  with  the  least  possible  wear  and 
tear.  This  is  a  subject  that  involves  the  attention  and 
skill  of  marine  engineers  in  the  building  and  running 
of  steamships.  It  is  a  subject  wliich  only  a  small  per- 
centaofe  of  livers  understand  in  their  own  cases.  The 
commonest  sanitary  rules  are  violated  at  every  meal. 
There  is  too  much  reliance  placed  upon  theory  and  fancy 
taste,  and  too  little  on  judgment  or  reason  in  the  daily 
necessity  of  eating.  The  mother  allows  her  infant  to 
nurse  until  the  overloaded  stomach  rebels  and  throws  up 
the  surplus.  Like  the  boiling  caldron  it  must  either 
boil  over  or  burst,  and  because  nature  comes  to  the  relief 
of  the  child  we  are  told  that  she  tells  the  mother  what 
to  do.  But  while  thousands  of  tiny  and  untimely  graves 
bear  evidence  of  the  truth  of  this  theory,  the  mothers  of 
one  generation  after  another  are  willing  to  test  the  virus 
of  this  cause  of  death  and  consequent  grief. 

We  dwell  upon  this  subject  in  the  interest  of  the  horse 
because  we  see  the  evidence  on  every  hand  of  the  gross 
errors  committed  in  the  family  home  as  well  as  in  the 
stable,  and  the  comparison  that  can  be  drawn  between 
two  horses  that  are  differently  fed  should  be  known  best 
to  the  person  interested  in  their  use.  The  carefully  fed 
Irish  hunter,  that  takes  the  country  as  it  comes  from 
morning  till  night,  is  fed  on  three-year-old  potato-oats 
and  three-year-old  hay  to  harden  him  and  give  him  wind, 
and  if  he  be  a  steeple-chaser  the  ownership  of  the  chal- 
lenge  cup  depends  upon  his  wind  as  much  as  on  his 


134  THE   BEIDLE   BITS. 

superiority  in  other  respect?.  These  horses  are  so  full  of 
life  and  spirit  that  they  become  yicious  in  their  stalls  ; 
no  stranger  would  venture  up  beside  one  of  them  with- 
out asking  the  groom,  ^^Does  this  horse  kick  ? "  But 
this  comes  from  the  temper,  spirit  and  high-strung  dis- 
positions and  force  that  such  hard  and  invigorating  food 
creates,  and  which  are  necessary  for  these  horses  to  en- 
able them  to  perform  such  wonderful  feats  in  the  course 
of  the  severe  and  peculiar  work  they  have  to  perform. 

The  objection  to  the  Norman  and  Clydesdale  breeds  is 
in  their  disposition  to  fatten,  and  the  evil  that  follows 
their  importation  to  this  country  is  the  ambition  of  their 
owners  to  feed  them  to  excess,  as  if  for  beef  and  not  for 
work  was  the  object  in  keeping  them.  If  fattening  these 
horses  to  such  a  degree  strengthened  their  feet  in  pro- 
portion to  the  extra  flesh  they  carry,  there  would  be 
some  reasonable  excuse.  But,  on  the  contrary,  it  weak- 
ens the  feet,  and  besides  wearing  them  out  in  advance  of 
the  natural  wear  and  tear  of  the  rest  of  the  horse,  it  is  a 
loss  to  the  owner — for  the  fat  horse,  being  lazy,  is  conse- 
quently slower  than  the  properly  well-fed,  slim  and 
lively  animal,  that  is  ambitious  to  get  over  the  ground. 
One  load  more  or  less  per  day  makes  a  difference  in  the 
truckman's  financial  receipts  ;  but  to  look  well,  as  he  con- 
siders it,  rather  than  do  well  is  the  error  and  where  the 
leak  comes  in. 

As  regards  the  appearance  of  small,  short-legged 
Clydesdales,  we  admire  them  as  wonderful  on  account  of 
their  extraordinary  roundness  and  weight  of  flesh,  and 
their  apparent  unconsciousness  that  the  only  difference 
between  one  of  them  and  a  Berkshire  is  that  one  is  a 
horse  and  the  other  is  a  pig.  As  work  horses,  the 
greatest  advantage  we  see  in  some  of  them  is  that  they 
keep  on  little  and  live  out  in  a  straw  yard  all  winter 
without  suffering.  Notwithstanding,  we  value  them  as 
a  mere   ingredient  necessary  in  crossing  to   produce   a 


FEEDING.  135 

better  and  a  more  useful  sort  of  horse  with  more  lever 
power.     For  this  purpose  they  are  invaluable. 

When  the  prize  fighter  is  trained  and  prepared  for  a 
contest  in  which  the  greatest  activity,  strength  and  en- 
durance are  necessary,  he  is  stripped  of  all  surplus  bile 
and  fat ;  but  tliese  men  pursue  a  different  course  and 
sacrifice  their  interest  to  gratify  their  fancy.  AVe  never 
trusted  another  with  the  feeding  of  our  horses  without 
our  personal  supervision.  A  being  akin  to  the  man  wlio 
starves  himself  all  day,  and  thus  loses  his  appetite  for  his 
dinner  at  night  and  takes  dinner  pills  to  create  an  arti- 
ficial one,  is  not  to  be  trusted  with  the  feeding  of  other 
men's  horses.  Animals  in  their  natural  state  go  to  sleep 
after  meals.  The  wolf  eats  enough  to  last  him  two  or 
three  days,  and  during  the  hours  of  repose  he  is  drowsy 
and  stupid — not  because  he  had  his  meal,  but  because  he 
ate  too  much  at  once.  Over-feeding  horses  has  the  same 
eifect,  and  a  horse  in  that  state,  whether  he  be  saddle  or 
truck  horse,  does  everything  reluctantly  except  go  to 
sleep. 

We  know  how  fashionable  women  dread  the  a23proacli 
of  obesity,  and  with  what  trouble  and  sacrifices  they  try 
to  get  rid  of  it.  But  the  Dutchman  wlio  puts  more  in 
his  horse's  manger  than  he  can  eat  don't  look  at  obesity 
in  that  lisrht.  We  once  rode  beside  a  novice  in  the  art 
of  hunting,  and  at  noon,  when  his  horse  gave  out,  he 
said  he  ^^  could  not  understand  why  he  should  tire  so 
soon  for  the  groom  said  he  got  loose  in  the  stable  and 
had  his  head  in  the  oat-bin  all  night." 


136  THE   BRIDLE   BITS. 


CHAPTER     XX. 

NOW    A    WORD    TO    THE    CAVALRY    MAN. 

The  cavalry  student;  can  learn  by  the  light  of  his  oil 
lamp  in  a  garret-room  the  theory  of  marching,  manoeu- 
yring  and  fighting  a  cavalry  regiment  witliout  ever  leaving 
seen  a  horse,  but  it  requires  the  skill  and  knowledge  of 
a  practical  man  of  long  experience  to  keep  cavalry  effec- 
tive in  the  field.  This  is  one  of  the  great  problems  in  war. 
To  manoeuvre  and  fight  cavalry  we  must  have  it,  and  it  re- 
quires the  vigilant  eye  of  an  experienced  superintending 
official  familiar  with  the  various  dispositions,  tempers, 
conditions  and  constitutions  of  horses,  to  properly  care 
for  them  and  to  see  that  his  orders  are  obeyed  by  the  men. 

Caring  for  and  feeding  all  horses  alike  is  a  vital  error, 
especially  when  massed  in  a  cavalry  camp  exposed  to 
every  change  of  weather,  and  where  the  orderly  sergeant 
has  the  authority  to  detail  a  man  on  raid  duty  while  the 
horse  is  not  fit  to  go  out.  Cavahy  thus  dwindles  away. 
Horses,  like  ourselves,  have  appetites  for  light  and  heavy 
feeds  at  particular  hours — one  at  dawn  and  another  at 
noon — and  properly  kept  horses  are  fed  accordingly.  Thus 
two  horses  requiring  different  hours  for  feeding,  if  not  dif- 
ferent food,  are  not  fit  to  go  together  as  a  span.  They 
are  mates  but  not  matches,  in  constitution  at  least.  If 
they  don't  replenish  their  strengtli  together,  they  should 
not  be  made  to  exhaust  it  too-ether. 

In  the  absence  of  a  commissioned  veterinary  surgeon  to 
a  regiment,  with  higher  authority  than  the  captains  and 
commander  over  the  care  of  the  horses,  tliousands  died, 
were  shot  or  left  behind  on  raids  in  our  late  war.  We 
did  not  see  that  West  Point  officers  knew  more  or  ccired 
more  about  the  individual  care  of  cavalry  horses  than  the 
men  who  rode  them.  Their  orders  were  more  in  the 
way  of  military  positions,  regulations  and  discipline,  than 


N"OW  A  WORD  TO  THE  CAVALRY  MAN".  137 

sucli  sanitary  necessities  and  rules  in  the  care  of  the 
horses  as  would  keep  them  sound  in  the  camp  and  effec- 
tive in  the  field.  Causes  of  the  dwindling  away  of  cav- 
alry in  war  can  be  counted  by  the  score,  and  for  one 
cause  on  the  battle-field  there  are  five  in  camp  and  on 
the  march,  and  where  there  is  no  surgeon  wit!i  authority 
the  waste  goes  on. 

On  Hunter's  raid  in  June,  1864,  from  Martinsburgh  to 
Lynchburgh,  and  on  his  retreat  through  the  mountains 
to  the  Ohio  river,  the  best  horses  were  ridden  till  ex- 
hausted and  then  ordered  shot  by  the  rear  guard.  The 
necessity  for  those  orders  might  have  been  avoided. 
There  was  no  provision  made  to  save  the  cavalry,  but 
there  was  ample  to  destroy  it.  Hunter  commanded.  In 
camp  or  on  detached  service  the  colonel  of  a  regiment 
is  responsible.  In  an  army  on  a  camjDaign,  the  general 
or  officer  in  command  is  responsible. 

It  was  very  short-sighted  economy  to  appoint  a  chaj^lain 
to  a  regiment  and  ignore  a  veterinary  surgeon — the  most 
necessary  man  next  to  the  quartermaster.  Occasionally 
grooms  who  could  bleed,  wash  a  horse's  feet  or  give  him 
a  ball,  were  employed  at  175  per  month,  but  these  men 
had  no  standing,  commission  or  authority  over  the  orders 
of  the  orderly  sergeant  to  "  turn  out."  On  going  on  a 
raid  of  three  or  four  days,  grain  was  issued,  and  it  was 
a  common  practice  or  order  to  feed  sparingly  at  every 
meal  so  as  to  have  something  left  for  the  last  day.  Thus 
the  horse  was  hard- worked,  stinted  in  his  food  the  while, 
and  made  to  carry  food  on  his  back  that  ought  to  be  in 
his  belly.  Horses  wdll  do  more  and  keep  better  if  fully  fed 
during  the  three  days  and  go  without  any  food  on  the 
fourth,  than  to  be  stinted,  reduced  and  weakened  by  de- 
grees during  the  entire  four  days'  march.  No  horse  will 
lose  flesh  on  one  day's  fasting,  but  he  will  on  four  days 
stinting  of  food  while  hard-worked.  Work  and  stint 
your  horse  and  you  become  the  raven's  quartermaster. 


138  THE   BRIDLE  BITS. 


CHAPTERXXI. 
SOME   UNNECESSARY   TORTURES. 

'  Many  of  tlie  bits  illustrated  in  this  volume  are  ingeni- 
ous contrivances,  while  they  are  certainly  rendered  un- 
necessary tortures  by  spoiling  the  mouth  in  the  primary 
stages  of  the  training.  Some  of  them  are  calculated  to 
break  the  colt's  spirit,  owing  to  their  effect  being  through 
brute  force,  thus  crushing  and  subduing  the  spirit  of  the 
pupil  instead  of  taming  it  with  his  consent.  The  sub- 
dued horse,  for  instance,  is  tied  fast  by  his  halter  and 
cannot  get  away,  but  if  loosed  he  gallops  off  and  is  men- 
tally and  physically  free  ;  while  the  tamed  horse  is  left 
untied  and  to  gallop  and  sport  about  the  field  with  his 
head  and  tail  in  the  air,  he  is  physically  but  not  mentally 
free,  for  when  his  keeper  whistles  or  calls  him  he  as 
cheerfully  comes  back  as  he  went.  This  is  taming  vs. 
subduing. 

An  exhibition  of  physical  vs.  moral  power  over  the  horse 
is  simply  evidence  of  the  difference  between  art  and  sci- 
ence in  his  management.  We  prefer  the  latter  ;  for  the 
time  taken  to  effect  the  former  depends  upon  the  extent 
of  tlie  power  that  the  law  will  allow  to  be  applied.  The 
expert  in  any  art  or  science  is  manifest  in  the  ease  and 
apparent  unconcern  with  which  he  performs  or  accom- 
plishes his  object ;  and  this  is  seen  in  taming,  riding  or 
driving  the  horse,  as  in  everything  else.  But  in  subduing 
a  horse  with  such  means  as  are  adopted  now-a-days  is 
certainly  outside  of  justice  if  inside  the  law.  In  all  our 
familiarity  with  the  horse  we  never  saAV  any  that  required 
them  or  could  be  better  managed  with  them  than  with 
instruments  of  less  complications  and  severity.    Of  course 


SOME   UJ^NECESSARY  TORTURES. 


139 


horses  will,  if  they  must,  go  with  them  or  any  kind  in  a  sort 
of  way  ;  but  they  don't  make  the  mouth,  and  what  sense 
there  is  in  making  some  of  them,  or  what  could  make  a 
mouth  to  require  tliem,  would  be  developed  only  in  the 
horse's  history.  We  give  them,  however,  as  samples  (and 
could  multiply  them  by  the  score)  to  show  what  it  is  pos- 
sible to  get  up,  and  the  difference  between  what  can  and 


Fig.  54. 


-NEW   STYLE   OF  MOUTHING  BIT. 


what  should  be  used  in  reason — from  the  regular  mouth- 
ing bit  for  the  colt  to  the  bit  necessary  for  the  spoiled 
horse  or  one  of  riper  years. 

Before  firing  our  parting  shot  we  will  have  a  few  words 
with  the  reader,  as  we  take  our  stirrup-cup,  about  the 
samples  of  bits  illustrated  herewith.  Figures  54  and  55 
look  very  pretty.     They  are  substitutes  for  the  regular 


Fig.  55. — ^NEW  STYLE  OF  MOUTHING  BIT  FOR  A  COLT. 

mouthing  bit  (fig.  1),  and  were  invented  and  pushed  into 
the  trade  as  "modern  improvements."  The  men  who 
heard  of  but  never  saw  a  proper  mouthing  bit  are  apt  to 
use  them.  They  tend  to  show  to  what  extent  people  will 
go  to  run  or  rum  a  good  thing  that  may  be  useful  and 


140  THE    BRIDLE    BITS. 

effective  to  a  certain  extent  in  proportion  to  its  capaci- 
ty— neither  more  nor  less  tlian  it  should  be. 

The  harmony  in  the  effect  of  all  we  put  on  or  do,  in 
training  a  young  horse,  should  be  in  proportion — as  are 
the  peculiar  colors  in  a  painting  that  make  it  effective 
and  i^leasing  to  the  eye.  The  weight,  strength  and  j^ower 
of  each  part  in  a  machine  must  harmonize  to  be  effective 
and  durable.  To  please  a  man's  feelings,  as  well  as  his 
fancy,  the  tailor  must  make  his  whole  suit  to  fit  easy  ; 
and  his  hat  and  boots  must  be  in  character  with  the  work 
he  does  or  dress-clothes  he  wears.  To  please  and  manage 
the  horse  effectively  everything  on  him  must  fit  easy  and 
with  uniform  pressure — for  a  hole  less  or  more  on  a 
buckle,  or  the  position  of  the  saddle  one  inch  more  or 
less  (thus  shifting  the  weight  where  he  feels  it  is  uncom- 
fortable), makes  a  great  difference  in  the  ease  with  which 
he  does  his  work,  all  day. 

We  know  how  hard,  if  not  impossible,  it  is  to  have  our 
hat  put  on  by  another  person  to  suit  us.  Yet  the  horse 
has  his  headstall  put  on  with  his  forelock  and  mane  all 
tangled  up,  as  if  anything,  in  any  way,  was  good  enough 
for  a  horse.  He  is  quite  as  difficult  to  suit  in  the  fit  of 
his  headstall  and  harness  as  we  are  in  our  clothes,  and 
the  capacity  of  his  bit  must  be  taken  into  consideration 
and  suited  to  his  disposition.  But  the  tendency  is  to 
overdo  a  good  thing.  In  fashion  and  dress  it  is  run  to 
excess,  and  certainly  often  to  the  detriment  of  the  wearer, 
who,  for  fashion's  sake,  changes  the  whole  character  and 
grace  of  the  person.  The  bustle  of  the  present  time  is 
enlarged  beyond  the  license  and  to  a  degree  amounting 
to  indelicacy,  thus  designedly  drawing  attention  to  a  part 
of  the  person  that  neither  the  observer  nor  observed  would 
ifko  to  name  by  any  term  by  which  the  medical  faculty 
knows  or  conceals  it.  We  know  how  desirable  and  pleas- 
ing a  little  dash  of  scarlet  or  red  is  in  a  picture.  On  this 
overdone  principle  we  see  brick  houses,  alre<idy  all  red. 


SOME   UI^Js'ECESSARY   TORTURES.  141 

with  blinds,  railings,  sashes  and  doors  all  indiscriminately 
painted  red,  thus  destroying  the  effect  that  a  little  red 
would  have  with  green  ;  but  this  would  be  utilizing  a 
color  that  the  red  was  intended  to  supplant,  and  thus 
fashion  takes  its  despotic  course  and  is  carried  even  into 
the  horse's  mouth. 

This  is  on  the  principle  of  the  Scotchman's  plan  to 
create  an  appetite.  He  heard  that  eating  a  pigeon  before 
dinner  would  give  him  one ;  so,  to  make  sure,  he  ate 
twelve,  and  when  his  hostess  (who  gave  a  large  entertain- 
ment in  his  behalf)  saw  he  did  not  enjoy  his  dinner  and 
asked  if  he  was  ill,  he  told  her  the  means  he  had  used  to 
create  an  appetite  for  the  occasion  on  the  supiDosition 
that  if  one  pigeon  would  give  him  an  appetite  twelve 
would  give  him  a  better  one.  It  is  the  same  with  fashions. 
They  run  into  nearly  everything.  The  extreme  either 
way  is  the  rule,  and  these  inventors  who,  thinking  that, 
if  three  tags  suspended  from  the  plate  on  the  mouthing 
bit  is  an  advantage  in  tickling  the  tongue,  nine  and  ten, 
as  above  represented,  would  be  better  still.  But  the  in- 
ventor has,  perhaps,  forgotten  that  figure  55  is  made 
to  use  with  a  curl),  and  that  a  colt  should  not  have  a 
curb  put  on  him  under  any  circumstances,  for  it  is  at 
least  from  one  to  two  years  in  advance  of  its  time. 

Figures  54  and  55  represent  samples  of  some  of  the 
choice  mouthing  bits  of  the  present  time  in  the  United 
States.  Notwithstanding  the  universal  and  long  stand- 
ing success  in  training  horses  for  the  most  severe  and 
critical  performances  in  the  past,  it  is  strange  that  the 
objectionable  features  of  the  old  mouthing  bit  wTre  not 
discovered  long  ago,  before  it  was  found  that  fashion  and 
folly  called  earnestly  for  new  things,  and  that  any  shape 
or  contrivance  vrith  cut,  color,  character,  shaj^e  or  style 
would  sell  at  a  profit  if  well  advertised.  We  recommend 
them  to  the  hardware  trade  or  any  dupe  interested  in 
horse-flesh  who  has  a  colt  to  spoil. 


142 


THE    BRIDLE    BITS. 


Figure  56  has  a  shifting  motion  across  the  mouth  from 
side  to  side,  as  one  or  the  other  rein  is  dj'awn,  and,  act- 
ing like  a  gag,  is  very  annoying  to  the  horse.  Figure  57, 
the  expansion  snaffle,  has  only  one  action,  as  both  reins 


Fig.  56. — SHIFTING  bit. 


are  drawn — that  of  opening  in  the  centre  of  the  bar  ;  and, 
when  one  rein  is  drawn,  its  effect  in  the  mouth  is  so  tor- 
menting as  to  make  a  horse  mad  enough  to  do  anything. 
Figure  58  is  of  a  piece  with  others.  Its  power  depends 
on  whicli  ring  the  reins  are  buckled  on.  The  lower  down 
the  ring  is  that  is  used,  the  greater  the  power  over  the 


Fig.  57. 


-expansion  snatfle. 


horse — for  the  whole  bit  being  inflexible,  the  strain  on  the 
lowest  ring  throws  the  arclied  bar  hard  against  the  palate 
and  thus  forces  the  mouth  open.  Figure  59  re}) resents 
the  best  made  aud  liandsomest  bit  of  its  class  we  ever 


SOME   UKNECESSARY   TORTURES. 


143 


saw.  It  is  a  credit  to  the  manufacturer,  and  as  a  cavalry 
bit,  so  far  as  its  power  goes,  it  has  no  superior  for  the 
horse  and  hand  it  would  suit. 


Fig.  58. — FORGET-ME-NOT. 

If,  by  anything  we  have  said  in  this  volume  denuncia- 
tory of  the  use  of  any  bit,  we  may  injure  its  manufacture 
or  sale,  we  have  done  so  in  the  interest  of  the  horse  and 


Fig.  59. — A  FINE  CAVALBY   BIT. 

his  owner,  and  not  in  our  own,  nor  to  the  intentional 
prejudice  of  any  individual. 


JUST    PUBLISHED. 
PROF.     OSCAR    R.     GLEASON'S     NEIT    HORSE    BOOK. 

Howto  Handle  ^Hduoate  Vicious  Horses 

By  Professor  OSCAR  R.  CLEASON, 

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In  addition  to  full  directions  for  Handling  Vicious  Horses,  Breaking  Colts, 
etc..  the  volume  comprises  very  instructive  chapters  on  Teaching  Horses  Tricks^ 
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ILLUSTRATED.     CLOTH.  ISmo.     PRICE,  POST-PAID,  gl.OO. 


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By  CHARLES  DU  HAYS. 

The  history  of  the  Percherons  in  America,  their  increasing  popularity  and 
influence  on  the  horse  stock  of  the  conntry,  are  concisely  treated  by  Col. 
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are  treate  I  by  Mons.  Chas.  Du  Hays,  the  most  distinguished  of  French 
authors  writing  upon  the  horse. 

ILLUSTRATED.     CLOTH,  12mo.     PRICE.  POST-PAID.  SI. 00. 


THE  SADDLE  HORSE. 

A  Complete   Guide  for  Riding  and  Training. 

This  is  a  reliable  Guide  Book  for  all  who  desire  to  acquire  the  accomplish- 
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ILLUSTRATED.     CLOTH,  12mo.     PRICE,  POST-PAID,  §1.00. 


THE  HORSE;  HOW  TO  BUI  tHD  SELL 

By    PETER    HOWDEN. 

A  Plain  and  Comprehensive  Guide  to  the  various  Points  to  be  noted,  show- 
ing which  are  essential  and  which  are  unimportant. 

CLOTH,  12mo.      PRICE,  POST-PAID,  $1.00. 

0.    JUDD    CO.,  DAVID  W.  JUDD.  Pres't. 

751      BROADWAY,    NEW     YORK. 


Webster  Family  Library  of  Veterinary  IVledicine 
Cummings  Scliooi  ot  Veterinary  Medicine  at 
Tutts  University 
200  Weslboro  Road 
North  Grafton,  iVlA  01 536 


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